The Setting Sun: The Imminent Dawn
by fallendeathlord
Summary: Four years; since Ozai's defeat; since the war's end; of civil conflicts and the notion of peace fading into a distant dream. The Avatar intends to make the dream a reality no matter the cost, while Zuko struggles to survive a world he helped create.
1. Chapter 1: Run!

_This story takes place four years after the end of the War, but is AU as of Crossroads of destiny. While I have a fairly detailed idea of what happened during those four years as well as the reconstructed events of Book 3, I'm going to leave it to you the readers to put the pieces of the puzzle together as I reveal bits and pieces through flash backs. I fully intend to publish two more stories detailing both book 3 and the four years in detail at a later time, but for now this semed a far more interesting place to start. So without further delay here's_

**Chapter 1: Run!**

A boy clad in tight black clothing sprinted down a dark alley, knocking down any loose objects he could as he ran by; following no more than ten feet behind him were two pursuers, a male and a female from what the boy had seen. Whether his estimation was correct he didn't know at present, he'd not pondered long before making his escape. Grabbing the lip of an empty barrel as he ran by, he threw it to the ground behind him, hoping it would slow the two and allow him a chance to break away.

To his misfortune the straight away ended and he was forced to make a quick turn, left or right; jumping onto the wall he quickly fell into a crouch and subsequently leap off before gravity could drag him down, shifting his momentum to the left. The youth was having some difficulty keeping his head up, exhaustion and difficulty breathing taking their respective tolls, but when he did take the time to examine his path he cursed his choice in going left. Some thirty feet ahead, he could see he was fast approaching a dead end in the form of a solid stone wall, but turning around wasn't an option; reversing his momentum would cost him time that he simply did not have to spare.

The boy clenched his teeth, bringing some pain to hs jaw, as he urged himself on. As he approached within a dozen feet of the barricade he let out a sigh of frustration and glanced back over his shoulder only to confirm that the two were quickly gaining on him. The full moon appeared from behind the clouds which had been concealing it for most of the night, and the pale light was enough for him to confirm that they were in fact a man and woman, both glad in blue, though their respective styles differed. Something glinted in the man's hand; likely he'd drawn a weapon, though the boy had no intention of standing around and seeing just what he wielded. The woman held nothing, but expirience taught him not to underestimate his opponents, especially if he was correct in assuming she was a bender. Her eyes seemed to gleam with malice in the lunar light, and a shiver ran down the youth's spine.

Yes, he decided, the woman was far scarier than the man and he prayed this was not another poor choice, in the event that they caught up and he was forced to fight. The blue bestial mask, which the boy had completely forgotten he was wearing so accustomed to it he was, shifted slightly as he stumbled a step, blocking a portion of his vision. Placing a hand on the mask, and feeling the intricate carvings, he slid it back into place, not daring to slow his stride. He was much closer to the wall than he'd realized, and he almost ran face first into it. Rather than stopping, he placed a foot on the wall, and, shifting his momentum, ran straight up the wall in a startling display of athleticism.

He made a desperate grab for the top edge of the wall, and smiled as he felt his hand grip the opposing side. Not so much as pausing for a breath, he pulled himself up and over, landing into a roll to absorb some of the impact. He climbed back to his feet and began to run again, hoping this would be his chance to escape and that the man and woman were not already scaling the wall. His hopes were dashed seconds later by a loud bang followed by a crash behind him, specifically the sound of crumbling rock and stone. Chancing another look back, he saw the pile of rubble that was once a wall, and standing just behind it was the woman, her right arm stretched out in front of her, palm facing out.

Looking forward again, he mumbled to himself. "So the woman _is_ a bender; from her stance I guess a Fire Bender, just not my lucky day," he looked back again, noting her posture, she stood rigid with her right arm extended straight away from her body with her other hand raised up and back, balled into a fist. "Yep, definitely a Fire Bender."

* * *

The man had stopped running, preparing to climb the wall, the obstacle suddenly came crashing down. Had he been a second earlier and he very well might have been crushed by the debris. The woman, being the one whom brought down the wall, cast an angry glare at him, and he yelped in surprise, afraid she might turn her fury on him next. Jumping over the pile of rocks, he began the chase anew. He watched as the boy turned and darted into another ally, so he followed, briefly losing sight of his quarry. He cursed under his breath as he entered the alley; there boy was nowhere to be seen. The pathway was straight with no place to hide, but somehow the boy had escaped. Letting out a sigh, he travelled deeper into the shadows. The last rays of the sun fled to make way for the night.

* * *

The boy lay flat on his back on a rooftop just beside the ally, listening carefully for the sounds of his pursuers. He smiled briefly at the sound of the man cursing, and passing him by. The man seemed to be far more physically capable than the woman, so she wasn't as big a concern, since even searching the roof would likely be a hefty task for her. As he was about to let out a sigh of relief, he felt a sharp pain in his back; his vision blurred as he was sent flying though the air. His head slammed hard into the ground and he found he'd lost his sight entirely, all he could hear was a sickening crack; the sound of a number of his bones broke from the impact. Splintered pieces of wood from the roof rained down around him, and he cringed as a few larger chunks struck his damaged form. Even with the adrenaline numbing the pain he could feel his chest burning, and his breathing was laboured. His vision began to return, but a second wave of dizziness passed over him, the familiar feeling of his rush wearing off.

Something cold splashed across the boy's face, but when he tried to shake his head a sharp pain ran down his neck, and all he could do was look up. Despite his left eye refusing to open, he finally focused on the scene before him. His good eye went wide as he saw that he was in fact lying at the woman's feet, and now he was looking directly into the angry benders eyes.

She had deep blue eyes that match her choice in clothing, while her skin was a medium brown, making her look very well tanned. He would have thought her beautiful were she not in both a position and temperament to kill him. She wore a tight blue shirt with white trimming, and over it wears a dark blue robe with sky blue trimming that reached down just above her knees. The robe was split at the sides and rear, and a long silk sash tied loosely around her waist held it closed. She had a short skirt that looked to be made of the same cut as her shirt, and wore a pair of loose flowing navy blue pants underneath it, concealing her legs. Her bangs were long, braided and allowed to hang freely from her fact a few inches before they looped back up and were fastened just above her ears. The rest of her hair was wavy and left to freely flow down to her lower back. On her forearms were two dark blue leather-like gauntlets that extended to the back if her hands and just barely touched her knuckles. Around her neck she wore a piece of dark blue dyed leather attached to a coin sized piece of cyan stone with a carving of the Water Tribe's familiar wave-like symbol.

The boy was almost certain that the woman was water tribe, but her style of fighting, and the fact that she seemed to carry no water on her person, suggested otherwise. Noticing that the boy had snapped out of his daze the woman raised right arm high above her head, palm facing the sky, and plastered across her face a deep frown.

"Come on," She hissed, speaking for the first time to him. "You can put up a better fight than this. It's never this easy to take you down."

The statement caught the boy off guard, as he had no recognition of this woman. In fact he didn't even remember fighting any women, ever, in his life, never mind one as terrifying as the one that stood before him. Certainly had he fought her before he would not be alive this day to face her again?

The woman seemed disappointed at his lack of a reaction, and tiny droplets of water began to condense in her upraised hand. The Water Bender, for it turned out that's what she truly was, was pulling moisture right out of the air and shaping it as she saw fit; the very atmosphere that they lived in was a weapon at her disposal. The droplets combined, forming a sphere a little smaller than a human head, and she slowly brought it down to eye level. Blowing lightly on the sphere, it changed shape and froze into an icicle, its deadly tip a fraction of an inch from the boys face.

"Fight back!" She yelled, apparently not caring what attention she might garner from those trying to sleep in the surrounding building. She was overtaken by frustration, expecting far more from the boy than he could deliver. Gripping the boy's mask with her other hand, she ripped it form his face. "Fight back or-"

She cut herself off, looking at the boy's face. His head was slightly triangular, and his skin tanned, and she realized he was obviously of earth kingdom lineage. His open eye quaked with fear, fully aware that he may very well be looking death in the face. "You're not him," She stated, disappointed by this turn of events. She released the icicle back into water, and bent it towards the boy. He tried to scramble back, away from the water, but the woman was much faster. He bit his tongue to hold back a cry as the cold water made contact with his skin.

"Stop fidgeting, I'm healing your broken bones," She spoke not as though she were about to kill him, but more like a caring mother. Was this girl crazy? Did she have multiple personalities? Even though she was now healing him, he wondered if he was safe. She could go back to the violent personality at any moment and finish the job she'd started. Before he could continue this train of thought the woman interrupted him. "There, all done. You run along now, okay? And be more careful, you shouldn't wear such scary masks at night." She smiled, and patted him lightly on the head, before turning and walking away.

The boy tried to stand, but found that while she'd mended his broken bones, his many bruises and scrapes, save the one that had cost him the vision of his left eye, all remained. He groaned, partly out of frustration, and partly due to the pain, and resolved to sit a while longer. Of course typical of his luck up till this point, the man wondered out of the ally where the boy had successfully ditched him. The man failed to notice the boy at first, but rather he seemed to be searching the sky for something. "Hey sis, I couldn't find him," he yelled into the air. "That guy's some sort of ninja or something."

The boy looked at the man dumbfounded, how could this guy be such an idiot? At this moment the man looked down, finally seeing the retreating form of his sister, and, of course, the boy sitting on the ground. "Hey, at least I got the 'or something' part right," He quickly made his way to the boy and gave him a look over. He cringed slightly at what visible bruises he could see, as well as the damp spots on the clothing that informed him that his sister had to repair a couple broken bones.

Squatting down, he placed an arm around the boy's shoulder. Now that the man was close, even in the dark he could make out his features. He was tall, with medium brown skin, just like his sister's, and the same shade of dark brown hair, though his was tied back in a very messy pony tail. His actual build was difficult to discern, as his clothing, a thin long blue robe, with white fur trimming, concealed his form. The robe was fastened closed by only two silver buttons; the top near the base of his neck had an engraving of the water tribe symbol, while the lower button, just above his waist, had an engraving of a lotus. His pants were navy blue, and rather loose, and his shoes black with the toes curling up slightly. On his back he had a sword fastened, while strapped to his side was a steel boomerang.

"Hey sorry about that, we thought you were someone else. I hope she wasn't too rough with you; she's really not that bad. Normally she's really nice, she just gets like that whenever we're looking for him," The man gestured to the twin Dao that the boy had strapped to his side. "You know how to use those, right? They're not normal earth kingdom weaponry, mind telling me who taught you?"

The boy grunted, and looked away, not willing to divulge any information about his mentor. The man simply shrugged, as though he wasn't bothered by the lack of a response. He stood up, then roughly grabbed the boy by the back of his collar and tugged him to his feet. The by wobbled for a second, but kept his balance. "Figured you'd need a hand up," Turning, the man started to walk away, following after his sister. "By the way," The man looked over his shoulder back at the boy. "Your master, was he a pale guy with black hair and a nasty scar over his left eye?"

The boy glared at the man, surprised at such an accurate description of his mentor. He turned his head to the side and gave no answer, but his shock was more than enough to tell the man that his guess had been dead on. The man turned to face the boy. "Don't worry; I'll try to make sure he doesn't get hurt to bad when we find him. Oh, I guess I should ask your name, would you mind?"

The boy hesitated, unsure of if answering would be in his best interest, but against his better judgement, he replied. "Lee, my name is Lee."

"Lee, huh?" The man began to follow after the woman again. "Good name to have, there's a million Li's," The man broke into a light jog to catch up to his sister leaving a bewildered Li standing in the middle of the street in the dead of night.

* * *

"Hurry up Sokka, what's taking you so long? We're close, I know it."

Sokka ran up beside his sister, stretching his arms out into the air before resting his hands behind his head. "Oh you know, just pumping the kid for information. You're right though Katara. He did pass through here, even trained that kid some. Probably gave him the mask to hide his identity."

"Or to throw us off his trail and get some innocent kid hurt!" Katara exclaimed.

"You know, he wouldn't have been hurt if you'd not jumped to conclusions, we don't even know if that was the right mask. All we know if a scary blue marks with some white on it."

"He's alright isn't he? So what does it matter, let's keep looking."

"Physically Lee is alright, but you must have scared the daylights out of him. You're really scary when you get like that you know. He probably thought he was going to die."

"Look, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped like that, but I thought we finally had him. We're so close, I can feel it, I can finally make him pay for all the things he's done."

"Katara, he will face justice, but not by us. We're just to find him and bring him back."

"Dead or alive, either way I'll capture him, the thrice banished prince."

"Zuko," Sokka whispered.

Several miles away at the ocean's shore, a man half asleep on a rock was jostled awake by the need to sneeze.

**Chapter 1 End.**

* * *

_I'm really busy with work lately so I won't update often, likely monthly, just a heads up. Criticism and ideas are welcome, and if I use anything I got form a review I'll be certain to credit. This chapter was largely to set the mood of Katara and Sokka, as well as give a quick impression of my writing style. I'm bad at romance, writing it or otherwise, so I likely won't include much, if any, and even if I did, I can't even begin to guess who it would be between. I sincerely thank you for reading, and thank you again if you took the time to review. And always remember to seize the day._

_-fallendeathlord_


	2. Chapter 2: Fall of a Nation

_I hope everyone liked the first chapter. I'm trying to portray everyone's personality accurately, but at the same time show that they have changed over the course of four years. For example, Sokka is a little more serious, but still jokes around and just tries to be a genuinely funny guy, while Katara still tries to act in a motherly fashion, but has a darker side to her which is making itself known more and more frequently, most often when she is dealing with Zuko. Edit: I made a small change to this chapter by adding a couple new paragraphs, paragraphs 6 and 7 to be specific, as I felt that it was necessary to provide at least a basic description of those characters even if they are not going to be appearing with much frequency at this point of the story. Now then, here's **Chapter 2: Fall of a Nation**_

* * *

A man sat at the head of the table at the former Fire Nation war room, though the untrained eye would see him as just a boy. He was nearing his adult years to be certain, but truthfully he could not be more than sixteen years of age. He was a man before his time, he looked young but his eyes and expression betrayed a man with experience far beyond his years.

He wore a button up white, shirt, and while it was tight across his chest, the sleeves were far looser and the cuffs open enough to hide a whole cabbage without raising suspicion. Both sleeves were trimmed with royal red, while the rest of the shirt was trimmed with a deep navy blue, while his pants were sandy brown and form fitting. He was of fair skin, though not pale, his eyes were a pleasant shade of sky blue, while his eyebrows, for that were all the hair he had upon his head, were a very dark brown. Starting at his back from the base of his neck, extending to his forehead, was a sky blue tattoo of an arrow, which thus marked him as an air nomad, quite likely the last.

The boy's chair sat back from the table, and stood upon an incline that gave him a point of view significantly higher than those others whom joined him at the meeting. It allowed him to make direct eye contact with any person at the table without having to turn his head, and also allowed him to see what actions everyone was taking; useful both for showing his respect, and as a security measure. At one side of the table sat four men dressed in Water Tribe garb, while on the other sat two men and two women in Earth Kingdom attire.

The two Earth Kingdom men were old, with grey, almost white hair. One, the one sitting closer to the boy, had a thin moustache that trailed down just below his jaw line, other than that he was of average build and was not all that unique. The other Earth Kingdom man however, was quite obese, and while the other 7 chose to rest their hand son the table, his lay upon his belly. The two women appeared to be of drastically different ages. The older one was frail, with thing white hair that she tied behind her head. The other was younger; her hair was still a deep shade of black, it hung down her shoulders and shined like fine silk.

The four Water Tribe men were all old with greying or even white hair; the youngest among them, sitting farthest from the boy, still had some brown, while the oldest almost bald man sat the closest. Even with their advanced age, they had an air about them that spoke volumes of their early days. They were warriors, all four of them, and fought on right to the end of the war, and then they were elected to take up far more political positions. To continue fighting for peace, but not with swords but rather words.

They were all much older than the boy, his seniors by more than twenty years, yet they had all come because of him. He'd carefully selected these eight representatives from the two nations based off the amount of respect they demanded combined with their motivations. He did not want political squabbling, so each person present was selected based off a single motivation; to help their people. Some, like the fat Earth Kingdom man whom made his living as a merchant, benefited from ensuring the well being of his people, while many of the Water Tribe men simply wanted the next generations a chance to live without the threat of war.

At the moment no one was paying attention to the boy, rather they were yelling across the table at each other. From what they boy could pick it, it seemed to be the same argument that occurred every time he gathered these eight together. The Earth and Water countries had been arguing over which of the two countries would get possession of the former Fire Nation land for close to two years, and if things continued to escalate, it would mean a second war.

"Avatar Aang," Called the Earth Kingdom man with the moustache, sitting closest to the boy of those from his nation. "I assume that since you have called us all here that you have come to a decision on how we will be distributed the lands that were once part of the Fire Nation?"

While the Earth and Water countries were the stage for most of the battles during the long war, it was the Fire Nation that was completely decimated by it. When Fire Lord Ozai fell to the Avatar, the entire country fell into chaos, the military was without a unifying leader, while the ignorant citizens were suddenly forced to think and act on their own. Taking advantage of the ensuing panic, the Earth and Water armies finally mustered the courage to launch a devastating counter attack. The various cities captured by the Fire Nation were hit first, and recovered with startling efficiency, as the occupying forces were out of communication with their homeland, and had no reinforcements. The armies did not stop there and soon proceeded to invade the Fire Nation itself, and within a year of the fall of Ozai, the Fire Nation surrendered.

The Fire Nation military disbanded, and scattered to the four corner of the globe, many choosing to live their lives as nomads, while some forming groups of guerrilla combatants, causing no end of trouble for the other countries. The citizens too were evicted form their homes, and now an entire country of refugees wonder a world that views them as an enemy. Many attempts have been made to set up new villages, but the local military often harasses the settlers until there are forced to take up root and leave. The refugees have drifted to the Earth Kingdom, where the land is vast and it's far easier to disappear than in the occupied Fire Nation or the small Water Tribes.

"My answer remains the same," Replied Aang, crossing his arms over his chest so his sleeves meet halfway, concealing his hands within the cuffs of the opposing arm. "In regards to this issue, all the captured lands shall be returned to their respective countries; so that things might return to the way they should be, the way that they were before the start of the war."

"We have returned the land captured by the Fire Nation during the war, Omashu and Ba Sing Se the largest among them, but what of the Fire Nation itself? Who will get that land now that the war has ended?" questioned the younger Earth Kingdom woman sitting two seats from Aang.

"You seem to fail to understand the meaning of what I have said. All the lands shall default to their original owners, the Fire Nation lands among them," Sighed a tired and frustrated Aang.

This time the youngest of the Water Tribe men spoke. "You are new to this council, so perhaps you did not know, but Avatar Aang is quite sympathetic towards the Fire Nation, despite the atrocities they committed," There was more than just a hint of sarcasm in the man's voice.

"The atrocities, against all your people, as well as my own, were committed by the military under the orders of the Fire Lord. The citizens had nothing to do with the war beyond being forced into the military and working to support the Fire Lord's campaign. To punish them is unjust, and makes you all no better than Ozai himself," Explained the Avatar, who was now beginning to have trouble maintaining his composure.

"You have just yourself explained why we cannot let them have their lands returned; the citizens are the military, and they worked to support the war. To allow them to return to their homes and continue as though there was no war would be to imply that there are no consequences for their actions!" While Aang was able to keep his temper in check, the Earth Nation man sitting closest to him was not as controlled.

The balding Water Tribe man, sitting closest to Aang, took this as an opportunity to speak his piece. "Despite his outburst, he has a point. Regardless of how the lands are distributed, they cannot be returned to the Fire Nation; to do so would only invite them to begin a second war. What's more, their military is hardly destroyed, only disbanded; it would be a simple matter for them to re-enter the country disguised as citizens. Everyone present believes that allowing the Fire Nation the chance to begin a new campaign is madness."

Aang seethed, and jumped from his chair, landing in the middle of the table. "With or without the Fire Nation, with things as they are now, there will be a second war!" boomed the angered Avatar, creating a violent torrent of wind within the room, and those representatives whom had drinks found the liquid contents of the cups literally boiling. "You are all supposed to be representing your countries, yet you all seem to fail to notice the most important fact. The trading between Earth and Water has grinded to a halt, the citizens of the two countries blame each other and the two halves of the allied army are each ready to tear the other apart. Despite defeating Ozai, we still have not achieved peace, yet you all act as though the only concern to be had is who gets what property. The only way to resolve the issue of the lands is to give them to a third party, of which there is only one. "

"To which we strongly object," continued the closest Water Tribe man. "You say that we are on the verge of a civil war, and you wish to hand the means to attack us back to a country that waged war against us for over a hundred years? We simply cannot take that chance, and while we understand that you are the Avatar, you are being far too naive. The ambitions of the Fire Lord, and thus the royal family, will not be so easily cast aside with just the death of Ozai."

"The royal family of the Fire Nation is of no concern. I killed Fire Lord Ozai myself, while General Iroh fell in the battle, while assisting us I might remind you. Princess Azula has been captured, as you should all be aware; having been present at her trial, and she is awaiting her execution for her crimes." Aang had calmed somewhat, but the sharp tone had not left his voice. "The royal family is broken, and without their leaders to guide them on a path to war, the citizens will continue just living their lives."

"Without their leaders they will be even more dangerous and unpredictable than they were with Ozai leading them. Perhaps not a war, but be certain that local riots would be a common thing, and even then, we cannot be certain that they wouldn't simply elect a leader and begin the war anew."

"Which is why I will take the responsibility of leading them on a path to peace," Aang leapt from the table into the air and appeared to float as a gust of wind gently carried him back to his chair as he took several deep calming breaths. Sitting back, he placed his hands idly upon the arm rests. "I defeated their former leader in combat, and was at the head of the army that lead to the downfall of their military. They will respect both my power and my ability to lead, and I will ensure that there will not be a second war. This is my decision, and it is why I have called you all here."

"You miscalculate Avatar," A new speaker, the older Earth Kingdom woman. "Perhaps were the Fire Nation royalty completely wiped out you could make such a bid for power. However even after the execution of Princess Azula there will remain one obstacle."

"What if this obstacle should be dealt with? Will you all then support me in this line of action?"

There were a few minutes of discussion among the group before they turned their attention to Aang once again. One by one they nodded their heads in confirmation. They did not seem certain that this was the best course to take, but as thing stood it seemed to only way to prevent another war. In Aang's eyes it was also the only way to give the citizen's of the Fire Nation a place to live again without worry of being persecuted. Perhaps had circumstances been different four years prior, it would have been another man standing here in Aang's place, a man far more willing and capable of ruling over the Fire Nation. Events had failed to unfold in such a convenient manner, and now the man who was once destined to lead the Fire Nation to peace was instead on the run from the very allies he once assisted.

Aang opened his mouth to speak, but found he had trouble articulating his words. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves he tried again. "The thrice banished prince will be caught and he will be present at the execution of his sister. Of this, I am certain, and will give you my word as both the Avatar and as the last of the Air Nomads."

"You speak as though you mean to spare him, Avatar Aang. You are aware that we cannot suffer one who would betray not only his own country, but each and every other country, to live amongst us," The closest Earth Kingdom representative again.

"You presume too much," began Aang. "I never spoke of sparing him. He will be tried for treason, and he will be present at his sister's execution, because it will most likely be his own as well. You would do well not to forget that while he has by extension betrayed each of you; his treachery was originally directed at me. He challenged my honour, and if I am to become the leader of the fire nation I must rectify that. Crown prince Zuko will die, and so then shall Sozin's line be wiped from the pages of history."

Satisfied with the Avatar's answer, the various representatives excused themselves. Filing out of the room none dared look back at Aang, his sudden ruthlessness leaving more than a few representatives unsettled. When at last he was alone, Aang brought his hands up and rubbed his tired eyes. Bringing his hand in front of his face, his summoned a small flame, and began to meditate, much as he'd been taught to four years prior. In a hushed tone he spoke to the fire as if it were a person. "I'd hoped it would not come to this. I am sorry Zuko, but I can see no other options. You will be sacrificed for the sake of peace."

* * *

Far away, in the Earth Kingdom, a young man strode confidently across the barren land. Only several miles from the Ocean, he was hastily making his way inland in the cover of the night. The moon shone brightly down upon him, bathing him in its pale light, illuminating him for any who would see. However, this wasn't the most hospitable of climates, so he remained unconcerned that anyone might take notice of him.

He had his right arm tightly wrapt in black bandages, and on that hand he wore a gold trimmed leather gauntlet and black glove. On his left arm he wore a similar black gauntlet, but lacked the bandaging and glove, exposing his pale skin, all that much paler in the moon's light, and his well toned arms. What hair he did not have hidden beneath his cloak was jet black, while his eyes are a golden yellow hew. His hair, a little longer than shoulder length, was parted just over his right eye, falling over the left side of his face, a large scar around his other eye peeked through his bangs. His cloak was royal red, with gold trimming, and beneath it he wore tight fitting black clothing and fiery red leather armour.

Strapped to his side were his weapons; dual Dao swords, side by side in their single sheath. The pommels of the swords resembled dragons, the blade protruding from the mouth while the body made up the handle and the tail looped back to meet the base of the blade and formed the guard. The fore claws extended out and beyond the blade, creating a small catch useful for disarming others. One pommel was polished silver, with small sapphires serving as the eyes of the dragon and blue leather wrapped around the handle to form the grip, while the other was gold with ruby eyes and a red leather grip.

His airs of nobility, as well as his confident stride, were ruined as he let out a loud sneeze that echoed into the night. Wiping his nose upon his bandaged arm he grimaced. "I wish people would stop talking about me, I'm getting sick of changing this thing every day."

**Chapter 2: End.**

* * *

_I figured it's about time that I gave a description of Zuko, originally this was going to be in the next chapter, but he really needed to make some sort of appearance in this one. For happy-Aang fans, I'm sorry I made him a bit dark, but given his childhood as well as the responsibility thrust upon him during the war I felt he'd eventually take on a resolved and indifferent persona, at least around people that he doesn't consider friends. As for how he acts around Katara and his other friends, you'll have to wait and see. Next update will hopefully be in two weeks, but it could be sooner or later, as with everything in life there are no guarantees. I'll try to stick to a schedule but work tends to interfere with my hobbies more than I'd like it too. As always, remember to always seize the day._

_-fallendeathlord_


	3. Chapter 3: Crumbling Foundations

_I managed to finish this a lot earlier than I'd expected to. This chapter is to re-introduce that last member of the Gaang, so for those of you whom were concerned that I'd killed her off; you can rest easy. Also there's finally a bit of combat, and I do mean a bit, it lasts only a couple minutes, but it serves its purpose. Well then, here's _**Chapter 3: Crumbling Foundations**

* * *

It was early in the morning, the sun barely visible upon the horizon. The small Earth Kingdom village seeped in silence, the vast majority of its residents still asleep at such an early hour. Several huts, for there was but one building that could be classified as a house, sat half collapsed. The dry earth, all the dryer because of the drought that plagued the area, made poor groundwork for any structure, let alone the poorly built homes the villagers lived in. Those that had not collapsed sat on solid stone, which seemed to climb a foot up the sides of the walls, further ensuring their continued stability.

A dim light could be seen from a window of the house, the only light available save the first rays of dawn. The house, similar to the remaining huts, was supported and reinforced by a solid stone foundation. The light originated from the dining room where a small meeting about the future of the village was taking place.

A short girl sat back in a chair formed from stone, the chair itself seemed sized perfectly for her petit form. Her long black hair dangled down behind the chair, tied into a pony tail, it occasionally brushed the surface of the stone. He bangs were lose and all but concealed her pale green eyes, which seemed to be glazed over. Her skin was tanned, likely from traveling through the blazing sun for some tine, the occasional tan line along her collar or cuffs suggesting a much lighter tone.

She wore a forest green robe, buttoned only from her chest to her neck, and left her stomach plainly visible. The trimming and the inner lining were both a pale yellow that contrasted nicely with the rest of the robe. The sleeves were long, and hid her hands from view, though when she stretched her arms her hands appeared from within the cuffs, displaying a black bracelet around her left wrist. Her pants, a slightly lighter shade of green from her robe, were very loose and flared near her ankles, likely the only thing keeping them up was a tightly wound pale yellow sash around her waist.

She blew lightly at her bangs, causing them to dance and tickle her forehead, not satisfied with simply being bored she had to make it clear to anyone else who was paying attention. The person in the room, a chubby little man with shoulder length black hair and a well trimmed beard, was trying to speak with her and it was not long before her displeasure was noticed.

"Ambassador Toph, are you even listening to me? Stop playing with your hair and look at me."

"Hey, blind remember?" The girl, Toph, gestured to her eyes. "Besides, it's not that I'm not trying to listen, it's more like you're not saying anything worth hearing."

"Now listen here young lady!" Began the man, but he was quickly cut off.

"No, you listen here. I may be young, and I may be blind, but don't you think that you can pull the wool over my eyes. We had a deal, and now you're trying to worm your way out of it."

"As I've told you, we don't have anywhere to put them, they would simply be laying about the road and I will not have that in my village."

"Of course you won't, because you'll give them homes. It's just two families, and you have at least four huts out there that can be easily fixed up for them. I know they're there, so don't bother lying," Toph was no longer sitting relaxed, rather she was leaning forward, his hands on her legs.

"I will not have Fire Nation living in my village. Forget about any deals that way made, I simply cannot allow it. I don't care if it was the Avatar that sent you here, I will not adhere to these ridiculous demands."

Turning her right palm upwards, she balled that hand into a fist, as she did the stone floor around the man seemed to turn to liquid, crawling up his body and then turning back into a solid. "First of all, _Aang_ did not send me; I am here by my choice alone. Also _Aang_ is not the one that granted me the title of ambassador. You'll find that it was King Bumi of Omashu that decided I was deserving of the position, though King Kuei of Ba Se Sing, though I guess you know him better as the King of the Earth Kingdom, also agreed with the decision. Though even without their support, I'm still a Bei Fong, so you would do well not to assume that I need _Aang_ to sanction any of my action,"

Clenching her fist tighter, the stone engulfed more of the man, leaving only his head free. "Now as per our prior agreement, you will take these people in. There are just two families, one an elderly lady with her two grand children and the other a young woman with her little brother. If you have any problems with this you can take it up with King Bumi or King Kuei, and explain to them why you are trying to derail peace negotiations."

The man could only nod, now fully aware that the girl standing before him had both the power to snuff his life out, and to cut off any trade to the village, effectively wiping it off the map. Toph opened her hand, and the stone fall away, melting back into the ground like ice into water. The man rubbed his neck nervously. "I have no choice but to agree. If you will but make a foundation for the ruined huts as you have the others I will see to it. I am very sorry for disrespecting you, and I will not let it happen again."

"It would be most wise to tread carefully around me mayor. I am in a hurry as I have another meeting I must attend, but I will set the foundation before I leave town. The refugees will be arriving by caravan in a week's time and I will be back to check on them," With that, Toph excused herself from the mayors home. With a few gestures she compacted and reshaped the ground around the abandoned huts into a solid stone base, then hastily left the town.

Upon exiting, Toph could not hold in her laughter in longer, and had to wipe a tear from her eyes. "As if that idiot actually thought I'd do anything to him or his village. Politicians will agree to anything when threatened," She stretched her arms out to the side and let out a yawn. "I guess I should go to my other meeting before I fall asleep."

* * *

Zuko sat relaxed on a branch high up in a tree, casually eating an apple. Normally he would have been alert, but he was more focused on his lunch than on his surroundings. Truthfully he'd only climbed the tree to avoid sitting on the ground, the parched land collapsed under his every step and so he did his best to avoid staying in one place too long otherwise he found he would sink a half foot.

Suddenly, the tree shook violently, and before the banished prince could brace himself, he was falling. He grabbed at a passing branch, using it to angle his decent, and landing on the ground in a crouch. In a flash his words were out, their blades decorated with etched flames that seemed to spew from the mouths of the dragon-like hilts. His shoulders immediately slackened as he saw that his assailant was none other than Toph.

"What are you doing _here?_" Her voice displayed more than a hint of irritation at the presence of the prince.

Zuko smiled, and sheathed his swords, confident he would have no use for them. Taking a step toward Toph he spoke. "I was just-" He was cut off as he was forced to jump back, the ground where'd he'd just been standing having collapsed into a deep pit. He looked down at the hole, then back at Toph, and then back at the hole. "Hey, at least let me explain myself!" He exclaimed.

"I don't need to hear your excuses," Toph drew her arms up to her chest, then threw them out to her sides, palms facing away from each other, and her arms forming a 180 degree angle. As she did this, two stone slabs, each the size of a barn wall, rose from the ground, about ten feet apart, flanking Zuko. The prince did not hesitate, and ran straight towards the left wall, and continued to run up it even has Toph brought her hands together. Using the wall as leverage, he leapt into the air, barely clearing the collision of the two slabs, the sound of Toph's hands clapping together echoes through the air.

Still in midair, Zuko did not have any opportunity to react as Toph; her arms still extended in front of her, cupped her hands together and raised them as high into the air as she could, while her right leg slid backward and he braced herself with her left. Following her movement, the two now conjoined slabs extended, shooting upwards, and slamming heavily into the prince's side. Zuko was sent flying trough the air, off balance and disoriented.

Slightly dazed, Zuko still tried to brace himself to the imminent impact, and upon feeling his shoulder connect with the ground, he ducked into a roll. Relying more on instinct than thought, all that mattered to him at the moment was to keep moving. Still dizzy, he stumbled to his feet and began to run, though he wasn't certain in what direction he was heading, his vision a blur.

Toph clenched her hands together, and brought her arms down, keeping her elbows straight, and following suit the slabs toppled over. Dust and debris were flung into the air as the slabs collided with the ground, narrowly missing Zuko. Smiling with satisfaction, Toph raised one hand, palm out, as if gesturing for someone or something to stop.

The impact of the slabs shook the ground, nearly throwing Zuko flat on his face. He ceased running, and crouched low. Searching through the dust and debris he attempted to locate Toph. However he found that the small particles of rock would not subside, rather they seemed to be floating in the air as if held by some unseen force. The prince was all but blind, while Toph, who did not rely on her eyes for sight, could easily pinpoint his location.

"Well done," he muttered, and drew his swords.

A fist side rock connected heavily with Zuko's shoulder, but even as he rolled with the attack he caught sight of another rock headed for his face. Bringing up his left sword he parried the attack, causing the rock to burst into dust, and like the other debris it too remained suspended in midair. No time to savour this small victor, a third rock hit his back, causing him to grimace in pain.

Rolling forward, Zuko tried to take a more offensive approach. Cutting down what flying rocks he could, he slowly made his way to what he thought was the edge of the dust cloud. A sudden barrage of rocks forced him back though, so he turned and tried the same method again. A second barrage, of even larger stones, caused him to fall back, dropping his right sword in the process.

The best the prince could do was parry the attacks he saw aimed for his head, and try to evade or roll with the others. The attacks came from every direction, so pinpointing Toph was near impossible. Feeling a sharp sting in his left wrist, Zuko dropped his other sword. Now unarmed, the prince could only wait for the final blow. A rock, easily the size of a torso, was sent flying at the prince. Not content to sit and wait for the impact, Zuko leapt into the air, but rather than clearing the rock, he landed atop it. The increased weight forced the rock to rapidly lose altitude, but before it fell to the ground, Zuko jumped backwards off it, adding the rock's momentum to his own. As he was not in contact with the ground, Toph could not see him, and so she did not notice as he finally escaped her smoke screen until he was already free.

A sudden impact with thee ground just outside the cloud of dust drew Toph's attention. It was Zuko, lying flat on his back, and obviously in some pain. Toph laughed to herself, for while Zuko's gambit had succeeded, it also left him prone. Before the prince could stand, Toph raised four slabs of stone around him, boxing him in.

Zuko cursed as the walls appeared around him, he'd been too slow, too sloppy, and now he was caught. Climbing to his feet, he began to cough, his lunges trying to rid themselves of all the inhaled dust and dirt. "Damn Earth Benders."

Toph could be heard laughing from outside the cage. "Ha, I caught sparky! Sugar queen would have a cow if she knew about this," She slapped her hand against the stone wall in exclamation.

Zuko slouched in defeat, but as he was about to lean again one of his prison walls, the entire box disappeared back into the ground. Suddenly off balance, the prince flailed wildly as he fell flat on his butt. This of course elicited more laughter from Toph, whom now stared down at the fallen prince.

"Real smooth there sparky," She laughed. "So I take it all that jumping and stuff earlier was just dumb luck, and you're really a klutz?" A serious expression etched itself upon Toph's face. "Seriously though, what are you doing _here_?"

"Why don't you tell me?" questioned Zuko, clearly irritated. "It was you that asked me to meet you here in the first place."

"Not, not here. I told you to stay away from inhabited areas, there's a village not ten minutes from here. Maybe you forgot you're a wanted man, but I can guarantee you that the rest of the world has not. Aang's put a hefty bounty on you, and given the state of the world I doubt anyone would hesitate to turn you in."

"Yeah, Aang would do that wouldn't he? Anything at all, just to keep his little mistake a secret."

**Chapter 3: End.**

* * *

_This chapter was originally longer, but I decided to transplant the rest of it into the following chapter, which was going to be far too short otherwise while this one was going to be far too long. This chapter served to bring back Toph, as well as to show off her new look, and give some insight to how some characters' combat prowess has increased over the past few years. No Fire Bending from Zuko yet, but he's as agile as ever. Toph on the other hand has displayed the ability to multitask with little effort, where as most benders focus entirely at the task at hand. I'll post the 4__th__ chapter as soon as I'm done, no estimates as my last two have been totally off. Remember to seize the day._

_-fallendeathlord_


	4. Chapter 4: Principle of Reprisal 1 of 3

_First of all, my responses to a couple of reviews I received._

_sev7n: Good guess about Zuko's lack of bending, though I plan to reveal another reason flikely in the next chapter. As for Katara, well read this chapter for some insight._

_OverlordNexas: Hopefully this chapter has some of the answers you were looking to see._

_This chapter took me a while to write because I'm a very action oriented person, but I needed to get some things across through dialogue, arguably one of my weaker points. Also it is longest chapter so far, which didn't help the time it took. I hope this serves to answer some questions I've raised, if only in part, while adding a couple new ones. No more stalling, here's _**Chapter 4: Principle of Reprisal Part 1, Sibling Semantics.**

* * *

Toph ceased walking and studied two small pygmy pumas playfully fighting not twenty feet from where she stood. Relying on her feet to feel vibrations in the ground, she received a much clearer image of the fight while standing still. One cat would attack the other, and the other would retaliate, a vicious circle that would have likely ended in one of them dead were they not playing. Toph briefly wondered where their parents were, for these were but kittens, but dismissed the thought.

"Are you coming or not?" questioned Zuko. "My camp is still another twenty minutes away, I made sure to set it up far form the village."

"Well at least you have some common sense sparky," retorted Toph. "Now if only you would have thought to stay away, you probably don't want to be seen."

"By the time anyone who's looking for me gets here, I'll be long gone. You don't need to be so concerned."

"Maybe," Toph sounded unsure, but started walking again if only to keep the prince from complaining further, thus severing their own series of reprisals before it turned into an argument.

* * *

"Hurry up Sokka, otherwise we might miss her," scolded Katara.

"Ah, come on sis. Can't we sit down and enjoy a meal, just this once?" pleaded Sokka, batting his eyelashes hoping for a shred of sympathy.

"You are sitting," pointed out Katara, gesturing to the Ostrich horses they both rode, dashing her brother's hopes. "You can enjoy your food all you want while we ride."

"But Katara," whined Sokka, obviously less than happy about the current arrangements.

"I don't want to hear it Sokka," Katara gave a quick whip of the animals reigns, and the ostrich horse began to speed up. "All we know is that Toph has a meeting in that village this morning, for all we know she's already done and gone. Besides we haven't seen her in months, if we don't catch her now who knows when our next chance will be."

"Come on Katara, never mind morning, it might as well be night. The sun is barely up, I don't know why these things aren't tripping over every loose stone. Speaking of them, these ostrich horses stink!"

"Good, maybe the smell will keep you awake. You can sleep after we get to the village, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to give you a place to sleep. If you're good I'll even let you sit and eat your next meal."

"You can't just treat me like a little kid all the time; I'm your big brother!"

"You're also supposed to be a great warrior, but you still can't get up before noon without complaining for hours."

"Hey, I was a great warrior," Sokka stuck his thumb into his chest. "One of the greatest, but the war is over. The world doesn't need any more fighting. I don't plan on being in any more battles, thank you very much."

"So then why do you still carry around that sword and boomerang everywhere you go?" Katara asked as she pointed to the weapons strapped to her brother's back and side.

Sokka's face became serious, a rare sight indeed, and he spoke in a grave tone. "Just because I don't plan on fighting anymore, doesn't mean I won't be ready if I have to."

* * *

Zuko and Toph sat beside a small fire; Zuko was prodding the fire with a stick, while Toph was searching through a large satchel. Each sat upon a stone chair, crafted by Toph to avoid sitting on the dirt but maintaining the feeling of contact with her element. With one hand, Toph flipped her hand, palm down and relaxed, upward, creating a table from the earth, and set the contents of her satchel on top; A small wooden box, a tea pot, several cups, and a water skin.

"It's still early in the morning, you want some tea to get your blood flowing?" she asked, gesturing towards the wooden box.

"Sure, why not," mumbled Zuko, still sore form the trouncing he'd received earlier. "How do you even know what you're making? You can't read the labels, don't tell me you can feel the tea's vibrations."

"Of course not, I know what it is by the smell. What kind of tea master would I be if I couldn't?" replied the Earth Bender, in a matter-of-fact tone. Taking the cover off the pot, she poured some water from the skin inside before closing it again. "You heat it, take too long if I have to hold it over the fire.

Zuko stared at Toph, insulted that his role in the world of things had been reduced to boiling water. Realizing nothing he did or said would change the girl's mind; he reluctantly took the pot firmly in both hands. "You'd make a good little sister, too bad I didn't get you instead of Azula."

"Don't know what that girls problem is, I would have kept around any big brother that I could beat up. It's like having a servant you don't have to pay."

Steam began to rise from the spout of the pot, and Zuko carefully set it down on the table. "That's as much as I can heat it without burning myself, and I've got enough of those."

Toph remained unsure if Zuko was joking or not until the prince cracked a smile and let out a short laugh. "Ah good," she spoke. "I was getting worried I might have broken you with that last stone."

"You mean the one that you threw at me on the way here, after we finished fighting?"

"That's the one," smiled Toph. "You shouldn't have let your guard down. Had me thinking I'd hit you one time too many."

Zuko checked himself over before replying. "I'd say you hit me about forty times too many," picking some sand for his ear, he flicked it into the wind. "Not to mention I think I have a thicker coating of earth than you typically do."

* * *

"Hey Sokka, why are you traveling with me?" asked Katara.

"What's this all of a sudden?"

"After we got back to the Fire Nation a couple months ago you said you were done with this wild goose hunt. I thought you had more important things to do."

"Yeah, well, something came up so I've decided to continue helping you. Besides that, what kind of brother would let his little sister go searching for a dangerous Fire Bender all by herself?"

Turning her head Katara looked to her brother. "Does this have something to do with looking for Suki?"

Sokka shook his head. "No, this is something else. Aang asked me to help, and even if I don't agree with what he's doing I can't say no to a friend."

Katara brought her ostrich horse to a complete stop. "Have you given up looking for Suki then?"

Sokka brought his own bird around so that he was facing Katara. "Of course I haven't, I won't give up will I find her."

"Sokka," began Katara, but Sokka cut her off.

"She's alive, Katara, I know she is, and I will find her. I just can't spend every waking moment of my life looking for her. The war is over but the world still needs a lot of help to get back on the right track."

"It's been four years, if she was still," Katara stopped in mid sentence. "She should have broken free by now, how can you keep going on and on?"

Sokka looked away from his sister, angry with what she was saying. "Look, nothing I've said these past four years has stopped your witch hunt for Zuko, so don't think there's anything you can say to make me give up on Suki."

This time is was Katara's turn to be furious. "Don't compare your search for Suki to my own for Zuko. I'm not doing this for myself; I'm trying to capture him so that the world doesn't have to fear him or any of his family ever again."

"Don't bother saying capture. Even if you don't do it, we both know what his fate is. The nations won't suffer the existence of any of the Fire Nation royalty, never mind one Aang has personally declared a traitor to the alliance."

"He deserved whatever is coming for him, that evil, conniving, thieving, scarred little-"

* * *

Zuko let out a great sneeze, almost spilling his newly poured cup of tea. "Nice one sparky, that's like five times in the past minute, got some dust up your nose too?"

"I just get these sneezing fits sometimes, don't mind me."

"Maybe someone is talking about you, an old friend maybe?"

"I don't have many of those, more likely an old enemy. Considering my reputation, I'd say anybody talking about me isn't a good thing," spoke the prince as he raised his cup to his lips. He grimaced as he took a sip, and forced the liquid down.

Toph was obviously insulted, and voiced as much. "Okay, I could feel you flinch, is my tea really that bad? I mean I don't mind it but it's not often I make for anyone else."

"That's not it, there's nothing wrong with you tea, at least as far as I know.'

Toph tilted her head to the side, her long hair falling over her shoulder. "Well, what is it then?"

"I just hate tea," explained the banished prince. "I have for years."

"The why did you even take a cup when you could have jus said no?"

"He would never have turned down a cup of tea. So long as I live, neither will I."

* * *

"Katara, I still think you should stop hunting Zuko."

"Why are you so serious this morning?"

"I just don't want to see my sister become a killer."

"Sokka, I'm just trying to capture him, you're way too worried over nothing."

"You know he's not being sent to jail."

"He'll share the same fate as his sister, I know, and I still say he deserves it."

"You'll be the one sending him though. No one else save Aang or Toph can fight on equal grounds with him, it's not some group of soldiers that are capturing him for his execution, and it's you. I don't want that on my little sister's shoulders."

"Sokka, you know what he's done. He betrayed Aang, he betrayed all of us! It was bad at Ba Sing Se when I thought he might have helped us, but this time he even said he was on our side. I warned him, he deserves what's coming."

"We don't even know what exactly happened, we just know what Aang told us."

"He betrayed Aang during the fight with Ozai, and he fled when we got there, that's all I need to know."

* * *

Zuko set down the now half empty cup of tea, Toph meanwhile was pouring herself a third cup. "Enough jokes," began Zuko. "I need to know why you wanted to meet; you know I've been busy."

"Yeah, yeah, dealing with all the remnants of your sister's little army," Toph chugged back half the cup and let out a belch. "I just thought I should warn you though."

"Warn me? Warn me about what?" Zuko's face fell from serious to simply confused.

"Any time now Twinkle Toes is going to make his bid for your throne. I don't know when, but probably within the next couple weeks, if he hasn't already."

"It's not my throne; I gave it up when I decided to help Aang master Fire Bending. Even if it was still mine, the people would never follow me after what I did."

"You don't know that! Do not make decisions for the people; the job of a leader is to carry out the decisions made by the people. That's why it's the citizens whom should decide who their rulers are, if you just elect yourself you're nothing more than a tyrant," Toph's face became sullen, and she seemed on the verge of crying. "Please, Zuko, I don't want him to become a tyrant. That's not the Twinkle Toes we used to travel with, I have to prove there's another way to peace."

Zuko put on a poker face, not wishing to show any emotion to the unusually fragile Toph. "What if there isn't another way? What will you do then?"

"There is a way, and you know it! The people, soldiers and civilians alike, followed you at the Battle of Sozin's Gate."

"Don't call it that!" snapped Zuko. "The people surrendered, there was no need for the alliance to attack that city; it was no battle."

* * *

"Katara, do you even remember what happened during the Massacre at Sozin's Gate?" asked Sokka, the two once again on the move.

"Don't call it that, you know as well as I do that it was no massacre," Katara was obviously upset at her brother's mention of that particular event.

"You're right, it wasn't," shrugged Sokka. "Though it would have been had Zuko hadn't stopped you."

"The city never really surrendered Sokka; he was trying to trick us. If I hadn't seen through it and ordered the attack he would have wiped us out, I saved us."

* * *

"I ordered my soldiers to attack, even after I'd told them to surrender," Zuko sighed, it was not a story he likd to tell. "Even if I only did it because the enemy had not ceased their advance, it was seen as dishonourable to surrender and then fight."

"But if you didn't the entire city would have been razed."

"The entire city was destroyed anyways!" yelled Zuko.

"It was, but it was after you evacuated the citizens."

* * *

"You would have attacked a city packed with people who had nothing to do with the war," Sokka was seething, never had he thought that his siter would have failed to realize the evil in her actions that day. "That's why any Fire Nation you speak with will call the Battle of Sozin's gate as much, because if not for Zuko that's exactly what it would have been."

"I can't believe you're defending him, after everything he's done!" Katara was screaming, not only was her own brother making Zuko seem a hero, but he was depicting her as a villain. "He was just using the civilians, they were just a shield, and when he realized that we wouldn't falter, he attacked us and withdrew them."

* * *

"Of course I evacuated the citizens; they were depending on me to keep them safe. I had to do whatever I could to do that, even if it meant forsaking my own honour and the honour of every soldier that served under me. I don't regret it."

"But you're still not happy about what you did and you seem to think it marks you as a person who can never lead the Fire Nation," reasoned Toph.

"I have learned to value life over honour, but the rest of my people are not the same as me. I gave the order to surrender, not once, but twice. I am everything that the Fire Nation, my people, despise."

"You're a hero to them, whether you want to believe it or not sparky. It takes a lot of courage to go against centuries of belief and tradition, but you did it."

"A hero, yeah right; the only person who came out of that a hero was Katara. The noble Water Bender who saw through the treachery of the Banished Prince," Zuko rubbed his bandaged arm upon mentioned his banishment, even though in the past he would touch the scar on his face.

"Maybe, but every single Fire Nation present at that battle thinks of her as a monster. I understand she has even earned the title Blood Bender, for not hesitating to spill as much as needed to win the war."

* * *

"You might be a hero to the Earth and Water nations, but you have know what the Fire Nation thinks of you. How many more titles are you going to earn before you give up this stupid vendetta?" Sokka made his gambit, his sister had to at lreast understand how those she attacked felt. Certainly his little sister had not fallen so low.

"Once Aang is Fire Lord it won't matter anymore anyway. He's the Avatar, Sokka, he'll set things right. He has to."

"Do you even remember what you did to that kid back at that village two nights ago? Or what you've done to others who you suspected of having information on Zuko?"

"I healed them after, and that's what has gotten us this far. Even with Aang's permission to find Zuko, not everyone is going to be helpful."

"We still don't have the slightest clue what continent he's on. Everything up till now has been a waste. What's more, I think you're confused; Aang never gave us permission to hunt Zuko, he told us to. I don't know about you, but back when I was serving in the army that sounded more like an order."

* * *

"What makes you think Aang is on the move anyway? It's not like you can feel him from hear, unless you've improved more than I thought possible."

"I got word a couple days ago from a friend that Sugar Queen is back on the hunt."

"Good, I have things to settle with her even if she does find me. Not that she will, she's been at it for four years and has had no luck," he smiled, trying to make light of the situation.

"No but she's been close even if she doesn't know it, I turned Azula over to her not a day after I ran into you. What's more, things have changed now."

"What has changed?" Zuko's face became stern, not certain he'd like any news that seemed to make Toph nervous.

"She's looked for you before eyes, but she's always done it on her own, well if you don't count Snoozles of course. Never before has she had an Avatar's blessing, and all the benefits that come with it."

Zuko leapt from the table, spilling what was left of his tea as the cup fell to the ground. "What?" He demanded.

"You heard me; she's been given orders to find you. Twinkle Toes finally realized that she's probably the only one who can and will bring you in, so he's given her all the diplomatic power she needs to track you down. On top of that, when I last saw her, she revealed that Aang had told her that you have an alias called the blue spirit."

Zuko said nothing, but grabbed his swords from the ground and began to skulk away.

"Where are you going?"

"For a walk, I hear the Fell Crag is a couple minutes North, I figure I might as well check it out. Don't know when I'll be in this area again. Don't worry, I'll come back, I need my tent."

"Alright, just be careful not to fall in," waved Toph, she then proceeded to pour herself another cup of tea.

* * *

"You're wrong Sokka, Aang would never boss us around he sees us all as equals. He just finally understands the threat that Zuko poses."

"Yeah, the threat to him, you know he can't take the throne unless both Zuko and Azula are out of the picture. Why can't you see how much Aang has changed over the last four years? He'll do anything to achieve peace Katara, anything!"

"You don't know what you're talking about; he's just taking his role as Avatar a little bit more seriously. The war was horrible on everyone; he just wants to make sure that it never happens again. I don't understand why you're not taking the same position."

"I don't want another war, but I refuse to condone the execution of anyone, even Azula, as a means to that end. You don't end wars by taking more lives," Sokka kicked his Ostrich horse and changed direction.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'll come back in a bit; I just don't feel like talking anymore. Go meet Toph, I want to do some sight seeing."

"Sokka, stop being a child and come on, we don't have time for this!"  
"I told you I'll meet up in a bit, just stick around the village for a while, I'll be back by noon," he waved off his sister dismissively.

"Fine, but be careful," Katara took up the reigns and prodded her ostrich horse forward.

* * *

Zuko stretched, and then clenched his teeth as he was reminded of the dozens of small bruises that dotted his worn form. He began the task of climbing the steep hill before him, the only thing blocking his view of the legendary Fell Crag. The sand and dirt made the ascent difficult, and if he was not careful he would slide right back down. A squawk from beneath him caused the prince to cease his movement and turn to look over his shoulder.

"You," he gasped, surprised to see Sokka sitting atop an ostrich horse.

The younger boy did not hesitate, leaping form his mount, and drawing both his sward and boomerang in one fluid motion. Zuko released his grip, and quickly began to slide downwards, leaping at the last second, drawing his sword and taking aim at the Water Tribe warrior.

**Chapter 4: To Be Continued in Chapter 5**

* * *

_Sorry about the cliff hanger, but I plan on making the coming fight, and yes there will be a fight because unlike Toph not everyone is on good terms with the prince, a rather long one, to sat the least. A major note is that while most of the events from The Boiling Rock fit in fine, obviosly in my story Suki was not rescued. If I have time I'll write up my own version of events during TBR so that everything else remaisn accurate. This was not a chapter I was eager to write, but it needed to be done and I hope I conveyed it well. I tried my best to make it clear that Toph and Zuko have a sibling relationship, the constant switching between Zuko & Toph and Sokka & Katara was supposed to give a similar feel, but to be safe I even out right stated as much. I'm not shipping anything, with the exception of Sokka & Suki, and don't want anyone to think otherwise. Until the next time, as always, remember to seize the day._

_-fallendeathlord_


	5. Chapter 5: Principle of Reprisal 2 of 3

_Sorry for taking so long with this on; just got a transfer and new position at work so I've been ridiculously busy this past month. The good news is that I've got the next chapter all typed up and ready to go, so I'll put it up next week. My thanks goes out to sev7n; for proof reading both chapters. Well after a month's delay here's _**Chapter 5 Principle of Reprisal Part 2: A Common Stance**

* * *

Zuko leapt from the steep hillside, both his blades poised to pierce the chest of his adversary, Sokka. However, the water tribe warrior was no novice to fighting; falling backwards, he avoided Zuko's attack as the older man passed harmlessly over him. As Sokka felt his back connect with the ground he kicked out, hoping to catch the prince in the stomach. Zuko reacted with uncanny speed, managing to place his own soles flat against Sokka's. As the younger man kicked, Zuko absorbed the attack and transferred the momentum into a dive.

Rolling, Zuko quickly stood and turned to face Sokka, who swiftly righted himself and likewise turned to face Zuko. The Firebender stood facing towards his opponent, his swords held loosely at his sides, while the Water Tribe warrior was leading with his sword held firmly in his right hand, and had his boomerang in the other. Zuko chanced a glance at his surroundings, concerned that the boy's sister might show up, but the moment of distraction was all Sokka needed.

Sokka charged forward, still leading with his sword, but with a quick parry from his right sword, Zuko sent the attack wide. Stabbing out with his other sword, Zuko aimed for his opponent's shoulder, but his efforts were thwarted as Sokka deflected the sword with his boomerang. Zuko jumped back even as Sokka fell into a crouch, kicking at where the prince's knees had been only a moment earlier.

The two stood separated, looking for an opportune moment to attack. Sokka turned so that he was perpendicular to Zuko, again leading with his sword. He raised his right arm so that it was level with his shoulders, while his sword was parallel to the ground, and reversing his grip on his boomerang. "Where's Suki?" he demanded.

"Who?" Zuko spat, hardly thinking this the time to have a conversation.

"The girl Azula took prisoner four yearf ago, a Kyoshi warrior," explained Sokka, who was certain this was enough information to clue the prince in.

"I don't know who you're talking about," Zuko was becoming irritated with the idle banter, but allowed Sokka to continue, all the while waiting for an opening.

"That's a load of dung and you know it. I know you were part of Azula's little army long enough to find out where she kept her prisoners."

Zuko took a step with his left foot. "The prisoners were all set free before Azula was captured; I don't know where any of them are," continuing his motion, he adopted the exact same stance as Sokka, even reversing his grip on his left sword. "Hey, I'm sorry but I'll have to end this quickly so I can settle things with the water witch."

Sokka was not happy with the information he'd acquired, but he was not about to just stand while his sister's life was threatened. "When I beat you, you're going to tell me everything you know about what happened to those prisoners."

Zuko made no response, and Sokka took it as a sign that the time for talk was indeed over. Slowly they advanced, matching each other step for step, breath for breath, all the while staring the other straight in the eye and never looking away. As they took the final step, bringing them into striking distance, they attacked simultaneously attacked, bringing their leading weapons up, and continuing the motion in a full circle. The round of their swords clashing rang through the air, their blades crossed just above their knees, and the two stood motionless for several seconds. They both swiftly retracted their blades while initiating another attack, Zuko with his left sword and Sokka with his boomerang. Again their attacks collided, neither able to put in enough force to overpower the other.

For a full minute they continued their exchange; an almost perfect mirror of attacks and defences. The only noticeable different was that though Sokka's boomerang was effective at deflecting, it lacked the reach of Zuko's swords, and left him on the defence more often than not. Realizing he could not hope to win at this rate, Sokka leapt back, and Zuko followed suit; they were breathing heavily, the exchange wearing both of them thin.

Sokka again recklessly charged at Zuko, acting on his hopes that the prince was just as weary as he, and thus would not have the energy to react in time. At the last possible moment, Sokka stopped his charge just as Zuko brought up his sword to parry what he thought to be an attack; instead the Water Tribe warrior pivoted, slashing at Zuko's right leg instead of stabbing at his chest. Zuko realized the feint too late, and though he managed to step back, the blade still cut into his leg. The prince winced as he put pressure on his wounded limb, and Sokka took the opportunity to slam his shoulder hard into Zuko's chest while catching the Firebender's left wrist with the curve of his boomerang. Guiding the arm with his boomerang he brought up his knee, connecting heavily with Zuko's wrist and forcing him to drop his left sword.

Sokka's victory was short lived, as Zuko suddenly lurched forward, bashing his head into Sokka's face once, then again, and following with an elbow into his stomach. Sokka fell back, his vision blurry and blood pouring from his nose and lips, but Zuko moved with him. Grabbing the boomerang out of Sokka's loose grip, he pushed the younger man back with his forearm, and promptly turned, throwing the weapon. Even as Sokka's vision cleared he saw the prince's ploy; the boomerang went flying, imbedding itself near the summit of the steep hill.

Sokka scowled, wiping blood from his face with his free hand as he turned back to face Zuko. "That is so cheating," he complained, but Zuko merely shrugged.

Sokka began to look for a way to even the odds, but the moment he diverted his attention the prince sprang into action. In a flash Zuko was in front of Sokka, attacking with a flurry of cuts and slashes. To Sokka's credit he succeeded at deflecting most of the attacks, and those he didn't only left minor cuts and scratches. He kept his sword arm extended and thus Zuko's blades were as far from his body as possible, accepting minor wounds to fend off the graver ones. Both warriors moved back and forth within a tempest of clashing steel.

Annoyed at Sokka's perseverance, Zuko went in with both his swords, thrusting at the younger man's chest. Sokka simply ducked under the blades, cringing as he felt metal bite into his shoulders, though he couldn't hold back a smile knowing he'd avoided the worst of it. Slightly off balance, Sokka stabbed out at Zuko's left foot, stealing further satisfaction as Zuko grunted in pain. Zuko's raised his hands and slammed the hilts of both his swords heavily into Sokka's injured shoulders, resulting in the younger man falling back, while Zuko hopped back on his uninjured foot. Sokka quickly jumped back to his feet, retreating from Zuko for time to catch his breath and hopefully become numb to the pain in his shoulders.

Sticking his sword into the ground, Sokka leaned on it for support while Zuko did the same with his right sword. They both simply glared at the other, daring someone to make the first move, while their wounds screamed for them to simply give up. Zuko brought his right hand up to his mouth and bit into the black bandaging, pulling the end free; working quickly, he tied the end around the hilt of his right sword. He even allowed a couple more feet of bandaging to unravel from his arm, though it remained largely concealed.

Pulling his sword from the ground, Sokka charged forward, thrusting the point at Zuko's face, but the Firebender brought up his left sword and parried the attack. Pulling his other sword from the ground, Zuko did not use it to press the attack, but rather threw it to the side. Not to be distracted by the manoeuvre, Sokka continued slashing and stabbing at Zuko, confident that he could beat the Firebender when they both possessed only a single weapon; he did not even notice the trailing bandage from Zuko's hand to his sword go tight. Sokka took a step forward as he feinted; starting a stab, he shifted into a horizontal slash. Zuko was caught off guard and forced to step back by the force behind the attack, while Sokka moved with him.

Retreating another step, Zuko brought his right hand up over his head, swinging his other sword in a manner similar to a flail. Sokka's eyes went wide as he looked past the Firebender's shoulder and saw the new mode of attack. Lunging forward he pushed hard against Zuko, sending him back another step while Sokka reversed his momentum to jump back and duck. Zuko turned his wrist, bringing his right sword around in front of him, narrowly missing Sokka. Unwilling to miss a beat, the prince advanced; his left sword following just after his right in a downward cut.

Sokka, still crouched, bought up his sword to block while kicking out at Zuko's feet. Zuko sidestepped as he yanked on the bandage attached to his sword, pulling the blade out of its path and flying towards him. Sokka flipped backwards, catching Zuko in the face with his foot, as he attempted to move away. Zuko's head whipped back, but he blindly grabbed his right sword out of midair, stabbing in Sokka's direction he managed to cut the foot that hit him in the face. Both combatants were off balance, each with an injured foot, but still Zuko began to close in.

Rather than stand his ground, Sokka began to retreat towards the hillside;_ probably to recover his lost weapon,_ Zuko reasoned. Giving chase, Zuko again threw his sword off to the side, and twisting his body as he moved. He swung the sword around his body several times to build momentum before taking aim at Sokka. The bandage was barely long enough to cover the distance between them, and Sokka expected this. Stopping suddenly and sliding along the ground for a moment Sokka changed direction and lunged towards Zuko, sword raised. Zuko frowned as he realized Sokka was now in line with the bandage and not the sword. He tried to change the weapon's direction but it was too late; Sokka brought down his blade, severing the cloth, and sending Zuko's sword flying. The sword stabbed into the hill several feet from Sokka's boomerang.

Sokka continued his charge, pressing the newly gained advantage. "You're pretty good when you have both your weapons," complimented Sokka. "But as I remember it, I was always better at fighting one handed."

Zuko said nothing but instead tried to take the offensive, launching a quick thrust at Sokka's chest. Even as Sokka moved to block he realized the feint for what it was, Zuko was too far to the side. Pulling out of the thrust Zuko sprang forward, pivoting as he did, placing him directly behind Sokka. The younger warrior spun around, his blade held at chest height in hopes of catching Zuko, but the prince was not where Sokka had expected him to be. Instead of attacking Sokka's unprotected back, Zuko was making a mad dash up the hillside, seeking to reclaim his lost weapon.

"Damn jerkbenders, never play fair," Sokka mumbled as he began to climb up after Zuko.

* * *

Toph sat back comfortably in her stone chair, sipping on another cup of tea. With Zuko gone she was forced to boil the water herself and so this was the first cup she'd had since his departure close to a half hour earlier. She raised an eyebrow as she felt the vibrations of a familiar figure approaching, though they were still some distance away. Toph immediately jumped to her feet and started off in the direction of the newcomer while raising the earth behind her, forming a hill to conceal Zuko's camp.

Katara's face lit up as her old companion came into view, happy to see Toph again. Toph smiled too, for despite their different opinions of Zuko the two girls remained good friends; it also did not hurt that Katara was unaware of Toph's friendship with the banished prince.

"Toph, it's so good to see you again," explained Katara as she embraced the Earthbender in a hug.

Toph struggled to break free from Katara's hold, but her efforts proved fruitless. "Hey, no touching the Toph," she whined.

Katara pulled away, now displaying a smirk on her face with the knowledge that for once she made Toph feel uncomfortable. "It's been too long; what, four months now, right? What have you been up to?"

Toph shifted from one foot to the other before answering. "Oh you know, this and that," Now it was Toph's turn to smile. "Good to see you again Sugar Queen, how've you been?"

"Busy as usual," Katara sighed.

Toph raised a couple chairs from the earth and beckoned Katara to take a seat. "Well come on, out with it all."

"So where'd Snoozles run off to?"

"To see some stupid landmark," Katara shrugged. "I have no idea why."

"He probably just wanted to see the Fell Crag," stated Toph, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's a relic from the war, you must have at least heard of it."

"Well I'm afraid that I haven't, so please do enlighten me."

Ignoring the blatant sarcasm in Katara's voice Toph went on. "When the war first started the Earth King became nervous about an attack on his kingdom."

"But I though that Ba Sing Se had its great wall since before the start of the war," interjected Katara.

"Sure, Ba Sing Se had a wall, but the other cities and villages of his nation did not. The Earth King wished to protect all his citizens, not just the ones close to him; so he sent his army to intercept the Fire Nation troops marching across his land. Hundreds of Earthbenders stood before the Fire Nation forces, and they tore asunder the very ground between the two armies. A crevice, hundreds of feet deep, now stood in the path of the Fire Nation with no way of crossing it."

"So they basically made a new wall, big whoop," Katara absently twirled a finger in the air.

"Not quite Sugar queen, you see after they created the crevice, the army raised hundreds of pillars from its depths. The pillars were weak and couldn't support they weight of a person, but of course any decent Earthbenders could just make the pillar solid enough for them. A wall to the Fire Nation, but any Earthbender could pass with ease."

* * *

The two combatants raced to retrieve their weapons while struggling not to slip down either side of the mound. Sokka dove for his boomerang, somersaulting as he grasped it, while Zuko leapt over the younger man, snatching his own weapon as he landed. As Sokka climbed to his feet and Zuko turned to face his opponent, both of their eyes went wide as they felt the ground beneath them shifting. A portion of the hill, alongside Zuko and Sokka, gave way and began sliding down the steeper slope, and straight towards the Fell Crag.

**Chapter 5: To Be Continued in Chapter 6**

* * *

_Well that was chapter 5, I hope it was enjoyable. Sorry about yet another cliffhanger, I would have had 5 & 6 as a single chapter but it was significantly longer that I'd originally expected it to be. This was a fun chapter for me to write, I read a lot of R.A. Salvatore and I've always liked his detailed combat scenes and I can only hope I've done him justice. Next chapter will be up in a week, but for now please feel free to R constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks and remember to seize the day._

_-fallendeathlord_


	6. Chapter 6: Principle of Reprisal 3 of 3

_This chapter was originally part of the last one but combined they were rather long so I split them up into two parts. Not much else in the way of news, so let's get on with the show. Here's _**Chapter 6 Principle of Reprisal Part 3: A Long Way Down**

* * *

Sokka angled his feet and widened his stance, trying to put his efxperience on ice to his advantage in whatever way he could. Zuko was having a much harder time at it: rather than sliding, he was rolling on his side, unable to right himself. Sokka shifted his weight, trying to slow his descent, but it was clear that he had no hope at it. Fed up with his predicament, Zuko waiting until he rolled onto his chest, and then pushing off with his hands, he managed to propel himself into the air. In a flurry of motion Zuko had his swords drawn, and his feet made contact with the slope, he stabbed his swords into the ground. Though the swords went just deep enough to slow Zuko, and also served to help him remain upright, he had his back to the fast approaching crevice, and was forced to look over his shoulder.

Sokka jumped, leaving the slope a moment before it fell into the ravine, landing atop one of the many pillars that dotted the Fell Crag. Even as he turned to face Zuko, he felt that something was wrong; his fears were confirmed as the pillar gave out under his weight and he was forced to jump to the next. Zuko, meanwhile, watched Sokka's dilemma with collective amusement and concern, realizing he would be in a similar situation in mere seconds. He too began leaping form pillar to pillar in a manner quite similar to Sokka.

Zuko and Sokka quickly learned exactly how long they could remain on a given pillar until they would have to jump to the next. Moving in parallel, they began to make their way down the length of the ravine, eyeing each other as they moved from pillar to pillar. Sokka debated the use of his boomerang, but realizing that any error would result in its permanent loss, he opted not to; instead he changed the direction of his path ever so slightly, so that he was now on a collision course with Zuko.

They both landed on the same pillar within a second of each other, but only had time for a single exchange before they were forced to leap away as the pillars crumbled. They began leaping form pillar to pillar only to land on the same one every few seconds, exchange attacks and then continue their dance macabre.

Sokka began timing his attacks on Zuko: each time he landed on the same pillar as Zuko, he arrived just a moment later than the last. Finally as Zuko landed atop and pillar and turned to face Sokka he realized the Water Tribe man had yet to land, rather he was still airborne, sword raised to strike the prince as he landed. Zuko raised his swords and easily blocked the attack, but as he came to understand Sokka's ploy his eyes went wide in shock and fear. The younger man did not disengage and retreat, but rather he stood his ground, forcing Zuko to do so as well.

The ground beneath both warriors' feet shifted as the pillar began to tilt to the side and collapse. Sokka could only smile as he raised his sword and brought it down again as hard as he could, throwing Zuko off balance while Sokka took the opportunity to jump away to safety. The younger man misjudged the distance however, and came just short of the pillar's edge; thinking quickly he stabbed out with his sword into the side of the pillar, he could not stop his descent but he could certainly slow it.

Zuko meanwhile rolled backwards off the pillar, jumping to the next as he mimicked Sokka and stabbed his swords into the side. The sides of the pillars truly were made out of clay, and their swords easily cut through them. Zuko's twin swords served him well, two blades proving far more efficient at creation traction than a single sword. Sokka however found that he was still falling far too quickly; his plan had not only failed, but it backfired beyond anything he would have guessed.

Zuko could only stare as Sokka fell out of view, so great was the difference in their respective velocities. Working hard to further slow his descent, Zuko braced his feet against the side of the pillar as best he could; he had no wish to join Sokka in his rocky grave. The younger man, however, was not ready to give up and die; taking his boomerang, he jabbed the pointed end into the side of the pillar. It was far too short to do anything but give him another hand hold, but that was all he really wanted. Sokka worked to wrap his legs around the pillar, grimacing as he felt the little bits of rock and clay tear into his skin. Hugging the pillar with his legs while continuing to hold onto his sword and boomerang for dear life, Sokka finally began to slow, but it was too little too late.

Zuko heard a sickening crack below him, the sound of bones snapping, and he couldn't help but grimace at the image he imagined was waiting for him. Pulling his sword free form the pillar, Zuko pushed off the side, soaring through the air for a moment before landing gracefully on the Fell Crag's base. He quickly sheathed his weapons, and holding up his left hand, he summoned forth a small ball of flame to illuminate his surroundings. What he saw was hardly what he was expecting, for Sokka was in fact quite alive, though fairing less than well.

Sprawled out on the ground, Sokka groaned several times in pain; from what Zuko could gather, the younger man had also tried to leap form the pillar at the last moment, in an attempt to lessen his momentum. However, he had been falling far too quickly, and the landing had obviously broken his legs, and possibly several other bones. Truly, the Water Tribe warrior should have simply been grateful to be alive, and perhaps he was, but it was difficult to discern from his groans of agony.

Sokka fought to keep his vision focused as the pain overwhelmed his senses; he was vaguely aware of the Firebender approaching him. He tried to reach for his sword, which lay not a foot from his hand, but found he did not have the strength. His arm fell limply to the earth, and he breathed a sigh of defeat. Zuko had him and there was nothing he could do.

Zuko merely watched the suffering man with vague interest in how he planned to get out of this mess, but both their attentions were drawn by a loud cracking noise. The pillars both boys had descended upon seemed to have lost what little stability they had, and were beginning to tip. Normally only the surface of the pillars would collapse, but the severe damage done by the boys' swords had apparently done much to ruin their structure, and the whole thing was collapsing. Sokka and Zuko could only watch as one pillar began to fall and slammed into another, and then another, a domino effect of epic proportions. Dust and sand began to rain down from the sky, followed by chunks of stone and rock.

Sokka yelped as a particularly large stone landed right beside him, easily large enough to crush him flat. Zuko, meanwhile, was busy dodging the falling debris, his luck apparently not as great as his fallen opponent's. "Why is it I keep getting hit with giant rock today?" complained the prince as he began to work his way towards Sokka.

Zuko stood almost directly over Sokka, though he kept his back to the fallen warrior. The Firebender brought his hands close together, separated only by the ball of flame between his palms. He began to move his hands in an apparent pattern, always keeping his palms facing each other, he'd shift one hand to be on top while the other on bottom, then reversing it, again and again he repeated the motion. Every time he did he pulled his hands farther apart as the ball of flames grey in intensity and size, but this was not all that Sokka noticed; the bandaging covering Zuko's right arm burst into flame before falling into ash, revealing the prince's horribly scarred flesh. Whatever burned Zuko's arm was obviously many times hotter than what gave him the scar on his face.

Zuko raised both hands over his head, releasing the now huge ball of fire as he turned his palms upwards. Even the glove on Zuko's right hand now burned away as he worked to control the ever growing flame, which was now beginning to reshape itself into a dome. Zuko kept his palms upwards, but brought down his arms so that his hands were at shoulder height, and the dome of flame lowered as well, enclosing both him and Sokka.

Sokka paid little attention to the dome of fire that he was now trapped in with Zuko, rather he seemed mesmerized by the scar covering Zuko's entire arm. "So it _is_ true," mumbled the injured warrior.

Zuko began taking deep breaths, inhaling slowly then exhaling quickly; the inside of the dome seemed to pulse every time he exhaled, but outside the surface would literally explode each time the Firebender released his breath. The force of the explosions knocked away the fallen debris, effectively shielding both Zuko and Sokka. For close to a minute Zuko maintained his steady pattern, focusing and releasing his flame in time with his breath; not so much as a speck of dust made it within his dome of flame. Sokka had taken note of the bizarre form of Firebending, and was dumbfounded, for it looked more like Airbending than anything else.

Zuko grumbled something, breathing deeply as he brought down the dome, seeming to inhale the flames like a vacuum. Sokka turned his head to see what Zuko was staring at, and cried out as a falling pillar filled his vision. No wonder Zuko had given up on his dome, there was no way he could so casually knock such a mass aside. Zuko puffed up his chest as he continued to inhale through his nose, moving his hands as though he were feeding air to his face.

As Zuko took a step towards the pillar and exhaled, blue flame streamed from his mouth and smashed into his target. The sapphire flame bore into the pillar, reducing everything it touched to dust, while it spread and engulfed the mass of clay. Zuko continued to inhale through his nose and spew more flame from his mouth, struggling to move forward, taking a step every time he breathed out, as if he were physically battling the pillar. Finally the pillar was reduced to rubble, and the debris ceased to fall from the sky. Zuko fell to his knees, coughing and wheezing from over exerting himself.

"Okay," began Sokka. "You so could not do the whole blue fire thing last time we met," he complained, despite present circumstances.

"It's been four years," managed Zuko between breaths. "People tend to improve with time."

"Yeah, I guess," surrendered Sokka.

Zuko finally managed to stand again, and silently moved to Sokka's side. Grabbing the younger man's leg he began to inspect it, trying to get a good idea of the extent of the younger man's injuries. Sokka clenched his teeth together as Zuko touched an open wound near his ankle. Without a word the Firebender grasped the wounded ankle, and Sokka screamed out as he felt his skin burning.

"What the hell, what are you doing?" cried out Sokka.

"Cauterizing the wound so it doesn't get infected, it's deep. You probably cut it on your way down," explained Zuko.

"So, why are you helping me? I thought you wanted to get me out of the way before my sister shows up," asked Sokka.

"If you sister was coming she would have been here long ago. Obviously if she's too far away to hear all those pillars collapsing, then she's too far away to be my problem right now," reasoned Zuko.

"Yeah, but that doesn't explain why you're helping me."

"You complain an awful lot for someone I could just leave here to die."

"Hey, I'm just curious about your motive, no one does something for nothing."

"I wasn't about to let you die form a bunch of falling rock, that's no way for a warrior to die," explained Zuko as he ripped a portion of cloth from his cloak and wrapped it around Sokka's leg.

"Okay, so why are you helping me now?"

"You said something when you saw my arm, something about 'So it's true'," stated Zuko. "What do you know?"

"I heard you got it from Aang, during the fight against your father," admitted Sokka.

"Lean on your right leg," commanded Zuko as he helped Sokka up. "It's the less injured of the two."

Sokka yelped as he leaned on his leg, if not for Zuko bracing him, he would have fallen right back down. "Hey, I thought you said-"

"That it's the _less_ injured of the two. I suggest not trying your left leg," Zuko did his best to help Sokka regain his balance. "So who told you about that exactly? It definitely was not Aang."

"Actually it was Azula that told me," Sokka all but whispered as he began to hop forward with Zuko's assistance.

"My sister told you?" Zuko stopped in his tracks, nearly causing Sokka to trip forward.

"Yeah, doesn't make any sense does it? Personally I think she was just trying to set you up, after all if she said it then it has to be a lie. At least that's what most people would think."

"Except that my arm matches her story and gives her credit."

"Exactly," confirmed Sokka, the two again making their way thorough the maze that made up the Fell Crag's base. "So she was telling the truth, at least about your arm. Did you really get that the way she said you did?"

Zuko shook his head. "Take my advice: don't punch someone in the face while they're breathing fire." Sokka remained silent for a moment before managing a laugh. "No really, it hurts."

"I guess I'll keep that in mind, though I don't fight anyone who can spew fire very often." Sokka paused for a moment, thinking about what he'd just said. "Why didn't you spew fire?"

"Everything I touch seems to turn to ash," Zuko mused. "My uncle, Mai, mother, even my father; they're all gone. I won't risk burning anyone else unless I have to."

"So if it came down to it you would have used bending against me?"

"You're the one that said you needed me alive, even _if_ you managed to beat me, which you didn't, I wouldn't have anything to fear from you," It was difficult to tell if Zuko was trying to be condescending or calming; either way Sokka didn't much care for his tone.

"You think you could have beaten me if things went on? You might have taught me how to fight, but I'm pretty sure I surpassed you some time ago."

Zuko looked to Sokka, raising his eyebrow. "I just taught you the basics of two-weapon fighting; all the groundwork was already there," Zuko moved quickly to hold Sokka up as the younger man tripped; the slope of the ground suddenly shifting upwards catching them both off guard. "You do know that I was joking when I suggested using your boomerang right? Your club would have been way more affective."

"Improvise, take what you have and use it effectively. That's a basic lesson Piando taught me," Sokka tried to shrug but found he was unable. "Boomerang works almost as well as a club, the curve is good for catching my opponents' weapons, and all else fails I can use it at a range and if I miss it comes back to me."

Zuko blinked several times, astounded that Sokka was trying to justify the use of a boomerang as a melee weapon. "I guess there's no arguing with that logic."

"Zuko, listen, I don't know everything that happened between you and Aang, but I know something about it stinks. I don't mean your B.O. either. Aang's like a brother to me, and I want to believe everything he says, but his story just has too many holes in it."

"It doesn't matter, as long as the world stays at peace he can say whatever he needs to, and that's exactly what he's doing. Besides, you're no bouquet of flowers yourself you know."

The two smiled and laughed together for what seemed the first time in years. As if beckoned by their improved mood, light shone down upon their faces, and both men had to blink as their eyes adjusted to the sun's brightness. Zuko closed his fist, snuffing out the flame, as they both made their way out of the Fell Crag back into the waiting sunlight.

**Chapter 6: End.**

* * *

_So Sokka is going behind his sister's and Aang's back? Seems both of them are going to have to step up and start redeeming themselves if even the ever loyal Sokka doesn't trust them. Next chapter Azula returns, but in what condition? To what extent has Aang mastered the elements in the past four years? What will Sokka do, continue travelling with his sister or give it up to fight alongside Zuko? Hopefully I'll have it up in a week's time, but it's still in the works. Till then remember to seize the day._

_-fallendeathlord_


	7. Chapter 7: Darker Tides

_Nothing really to say except that it's a long one. Well I hope everyone enjoys _**Chapter 7: Darker Tides**

Aang walked down the dark pathway of the palace dungeon, a tray of food balancing on his head as he dodged the occasional fireball and tin cup that flew from the various cells that lined the walls. In the rare occurrence that he failed to leap away from the fire in time, he simply blew it out as if it were not but a candle, using his Firebending to suppress and snuff out the fire. He ignored the many unsavoury comments that the prisoners shouted his way, far more focused on the task at hand: keeping the tray from toppling over and falling to the ground. Around officials Aang was the Avatar, a symbol of peace and thus a deadly, serious politician. On his own, however, he reverted to being as care free as ever, relieved to have the weight of the world lifted form his shoulders, if only for a moment.

At last Aang reached the end of the hallway: a dead end, or so it seemed. The Avatar placed his hand firmly against the wall, while using his other hand to hold the food tray sturdy; the stone wall parted at his touch, beholden to his will as was all earth. Behind the stone wall was another wall, this one off ice, but Aang simply exhaled a small gout of flame, and the wall melted. It was plainly obvious that a river or the like flowed overhead, for the ice wall was replaced with a gushing torrent of water. Aang brufshed the waterfall aside as if it were nothing more than hanging cloth, at last revealing a steal door, the hidden cell of the most dangerous criminal in all the Fire Nation.

Pulling a key from his sleeve, Aang cautiously unlocked the door, taking a step back as he pulled it open. The room looked more like a luxury suite than a cell; the walls were literally made of gold with many intricate pieces of artwork adoring them, while the floor was covered in a series of the finest carpets gold could buy. The room was also adorned with furniture crafted from red oak. The entire cell was a single huge room, but it was divided into separate sections, living quarters, sleeping quarters, a small pantry, and an enclosed space that likely served as a bathroom.

Sitting at a table just opposite the door was a young woman, her hands behind her head and her feet resting comfortably on the table. A smile crossed her luscious, deep red lips, while her golden eyes betrayed a hint of amusement. Despite the fact that she was a prisoner she wore armour crafted from black leather and gold, and underneath she wore tight fitting, royal red silk clothing. Her long black hair was tied up into a pony tail, but the length was such that it reached just above her waist. She allowed her bangs to fall freely rather than tied back; parting in two at her forehead and ending just bellow her chest. Her skin seemed to glow in the light of the fire, but a trained eye would notice she was unusually pale, a sign that she'd not seen the sun in some time. She leaned forward, lowering her feet and resting her hands on the table, she drummed her well maintained, claw like nails upon the oaken surface.

"I see my servant has finally found the time to bring my dinner," she teased. "You know, even before my nation's decline I never would have dreamed that the Avatar himself would cater to my whims." Her tone was sweet, but every word she uttered seemed to seep from her lips like venom from a snake.

* * *

Zuko held a scroll firmly in his left hand, careful not to drop it; riding atop an ostrich horse, he found it far more difficult to maintain his balance than he remembered. Of course, in time passed he rode at a slower pace, while now he made all haste. He glanced to the side, where another ostrich horse rode beside him, but carried no rider, instead loaded down with supplies.

The second beast's reigns were tied tightly to the saddle of Zuko's own mount to keep it from meandering off on its own. Zuko slipped the scroll into his belt and patted a small pouch at his side, smiling at the sound of coins jingling together. Given past experiences, he dared not take his recent string of luck for granted. Giving his mount a soft pat, he pulled back on the reigns, and the beast reduced its pace. The other ostrich horse, seeing its sibling slow, followed suit.

"Easy guys," Zuko spoke in a gentle tone to the birds. "We're almost there. You can relax a little." Taking his own advice, Zuko slaked his shoulders and closed his eyes, musing how it was he'd arrived at this point.

* * *

Katara and Sokka marched through the desert like landscape, both wearing loose fitting white cloaks with the hoods up to keep the sun out of their eyes. Katara threw her arms up in exasperation. "I still can't believe he managed to steal both our ostrich horses _and_ collect all his gear right under our noses. We almost had him." She sent a glare her brother's way, as though the whole ordeal was his fault. Of course it was, but she didn't actually know that nor did she need to.

"Hey, don't look at me," Sokka threw his own hands up in defence. "He managed to sneak by you _and_ Toph, how was I supposed to stop him?"

"Oh right, I forgot, you just sat on your butt and watched him slink away."

"You're right Katara, I guess I should have just crawled right after him," to emphasize his point, Sokka used one hand to illustrate someone walking away and the other to show what seems to be a worm crawling along the ground.

Katara could only shake her head at her brother's bizarre attempts at depicting his thoughts through hand gestures. "Look, I'm sorry; I know you couldn't have done anything. Your legs were hurt pretty badly but it's still infuriating that he was that close and still managed to get away."

"On the bright side, Toph was able to get us some more supplies from that village," Sokka began playing with his cloak. "Plus she gave us these awesome cloaks, they are so much better for travelling through this wasteland than robes. Plus Zuko forgot his stash of food; who'd have thought Firebenders liked jerky?" Sokka pulled a piece of the aforementioned meat from his pocket and began gnawing on it.

Katara narrowed her eyes at her brother, but quickly turned away, looking back to the trail in front of them. "The going is a lot slower on foot, but at least he's left us something to follow this time. He must be in a hurry to get somewhere if he's not even bothering to disguise his tracks; I wonder where he's going."

Sokka mumbled something unintelligible as he chewed on the piece of jerky, but after a stern look form his sister he forced the piece down. "I said, yeah I wonder too," Sokka lied as he looked up into the sky, raising a hand to his forehead to block out the rays of the sun.

* * *

Three days earlier…

"_What is this?" Zuko asked as he took a scroll from the crippled Sokka._

_The Water Tribe Warrior struggled to sit up, but failed until the prince gave him a helping hand. "It's a request for help that I was supposed to deliver to my sister," he explained._

"_So why are you giving this to me and not her? Isn't this something she should have read at least a couple weeks ago?"_

_Sokka shrugged. "Read it and you'll see why I don't exactly think she's up to the task."_

_Zuko didn't bother to open the scroll, instead he stared Sokka in the eye. "What makes you think that I can accomplish anything that your sister can't?"_

"_Whoa, whoa, hey there buddy," Sokka held his hands up gesturing Zuko to stop. "I never said she can't do it, I just think that she won't."_

_His curiosity aroused by the comment, Zuko unrolled the scroll and carefully read each and every detail. Zuko looked back to Sokka, frowning as he regarded the younger man. "This is something that should have been dealt with a month ago, what do you think you're doing?"_

"_To be honest I'm not really sure myself. I was going to ask Toph to deal with it, but it took longer to find her than I thought it would."_

_Zuko pointed in the direction of his camp. "I think I saw her in that direction, though to be honest I made a point of not being noticed," he lied, not wishing to reveal his friendship with Toph to anyone he wasn't certain he could trust._

"_Even so, I'd rather leave it for you to do. Seems like something a Fire Nation prince should be responsible for, and I know you have more free time than Toph does. Also I want to see just what kind of person you really are, the man behind the mask."_

_Zuko dragged a hand down his face, knowing full well this was an argument he had no hope of winning. "There's no mask Sokka, I'm true to myself."_

_Sokka waved him off like it was nothing. "Doesn't matter, I still don't know who you are these days. So here's the plan, I'll do what I can to distract Katara, and you steal an ostrich horse and whatever supplies you need. The only problem is sneaking by Toph; do you think you can manage that?"_

_It was Zuko's turn to wave Sokka off. "I think I can manage it."_

* * *

Present Time…

"I don't want to hear your stupid jokes," Aang all but spat at his mention of the prisoners name. "I bring your food because I'm the only person that _should_ have access to your cell, and you know it."

"And you know I'm eternally grateful for it," Azula replied as she lunged across the table for the plate of food. Aang was quicker, and pulled the plate away just in time, leaving Azula sprawled upon the table.

"Where is your brother?" The Avatar demanded.

Azula glared at the Airbender before smiling and sliding back into her chair, acting every inch like the snake she was. "Why I have no idea where Zuzu is, if I did I'm sure you would know too. After all, you're the only contact I get to have with the outside world," she pouted.

"I'm not buying that for a second," Aang's childish tone disappeared, and a scowl crossed his visage; he did not have the patience to deal with Azula's antics.

Azula merely exaggerated a shrug in response. "I guess it's a good thing I'm not selling anything then isn't it?"

Still holding the plate in one hand, Aang whipped out the other; a huge gust of wind followed, knocking Azula backwards out of her chair and pressing her against the wall. While Azula was dazed by the attack, Aang set the plate down on the table and began to work his hands.

Azula gasped, coming back to her senses a moment before lightning struck the chair she'd sat in. She looked form the now burning piece of furniture to Aang, who still had his arm extended from the motion of his attack.

"Alright, I'll tell you what I know," she admitted in defeat.

* * *

Zuko brought the ostrich horses to a complete halt; he could clearly see the port town that was his destination. However it was not the sight of the town that made him stop, but rather a half dozen Earth Kingdom soldiers standing between him and his goal. Climbing down form his mount, Zuko held his arms high and kept his hands open in a gesture of peace and surrender.

"We don't need nor want your kind here stranger," declared the apparent leader of the bunch, a bulky man with two hammers strapped to his side. Zuko had a brief moment of déjà vu, certain he'd met this man at some point in the past. "Be gone," The leader commanded.

"My kind?" Zuko asked, though he had a sneaking suspicion he understood the answer.

"Why Fire Nation scum of course," spat the leader as he took a step towards Zuko.

Zuko narrowed his eyes, not one to be intimidated. "I was here a month ago and this town was home to a couple refugees."

"Those old fools? We ran them out of town weeks ago. The boss said to take out the trash in this town so we did. I'd even wager that they didn't survive one night out there in the wild," the man laughed.

Zuko ground his teeth, debating what he should do, but the choice was obvious. Kicking out he sent a stream of flames at the soldiers.

* * *

Sokka held up his hand signalling Katara to stop. "I think I heard something," he explained. He began to slowly sneak around a large mount of sand and dirt, but a piece of cloth sticking out of the ground caught his eye; he realized it wasn't a mount at all, but a tent covered in sand to keep it camouflaged. He began to search for the entrance, but his only reward for finding it was a ball of fire that narrowly missed his face.

Upon seeing the fire Katara immediately ran to her brother's aid; Sokka stood with his hands up in surrender, an elderly man emerged form the tent with his fist pointed at the boy's head. Reacting swiftly, Katara drew the contents of her water skin and splashed it over the old man. Even as he turned to face his assailant the old man felt the water cooling, and before he could look Katara in the eye he was frozen in place.

"Bah," grumbled the old firebender. "First durned earthworms, now water whipper snappers."

Katara remained alert and on edge, but Sokka's features softened somewhat; the old man was a Firebender, sure, but he seemed less hostile and more a typical crabby old man; a crabby old man that could shoot fire and possibly lightning, but a crabby old man nonetheless. "Sir, are you a refugee?" Sokka asked, keeping his hands up on the air.

Despite his predicament the old man kept his sour image. "No, I happen to like wandering around the Earth Kingdom homeless."

Katara let her form go, standing calmly with her arms at her sides. "There are plenty of towns that are taking in refugees from the Fire Nation, you could easily find a place to live," she reasoned.

"Do I look senile? I know that, don't you think I know that?" It was difficult to tell if the old man was being serious or not, his personality was simply over the top. His scowl was quickly replaced with a solemn expression. "Found shelter in a town about a week from here, but then the durned earthworms came and kicked us right out. Told us to leave and not come back."

"Us?" Katara and Sokka spoke in unison.

"Why my wife and myself of course."

* * *

The soldiers quickly brought up their arms to shield their faces from the flames; Zuko noted that at least three of the men had burns already. These men had obviously come into conflict with a competent Firebender recently, and the prince could take a wild guess at whom. At the moment though, it did not matter who they fought before, because he was fighting them now. Zuko bent his knees, ready and waiting for the counter attack; it came in the form of six rocks, one sent flying by each Earthbender, coming right at him. The leader of the bunch smiled as the sound of rocks colliding and dust filled the air. Waving his hands he cleared the dust, only to reveal Zuko standing calmly atop a pile of rubble.

Zuko crouched and jumped, and as his feet left the ground the rubble beneath him exploded; flame and rocks went flying outwards in every direction but up. One unfortunate soldier caught a piece of shrapnel right in his forehead; it failed to cut him, but it was enough to knock him out. Ignoring their comrade the other soldiers pressed their assault. As Zuko set his feet back on the ground he was met with two slaps of stone rushing at him. Standing his ground he held his hands out, forming small balls of flame in his palms which quickly expanded to the size of a human head. When the slabs came within arms reach Zuko pushed the balls of flame into the stone, exploding violently outward upon contact. The slabs were reduced to sand and dust while Zuko stood, unmoved and unharmed.

One of the two guards that had launched a slab looked to his leader with a confused expression. "Sir I ain't never seen anyone fire bend like that before."

The leader frowned; bring up his hand he raised a stone from the ground, a quick flick of his wrist sent it flying towards Zuko. The Firebender brought one foot forward, and as the rock closed in he stomped his foot; a wall of flame exploded from the ground, knocking the projectile harmlessly away.

"That's because he's not fighting like a Firebender, those are all Earthbender moves," the leader revealed.

* * *

"Your wife," Katara began, "is she okay?"

"Of course she is, taking more than a couple o' durn earthworms to keep her down. Them fools hardly laid a hand on her; she down right scares me when she's like that."

"But they still managed to expel you from the village you were staying in," stated Sokka, though he tried not to sound insulting.

"Bah, my wife has a bad back, couldn't keep it up for too long, plus we was afraid're lighting the whole place up. Those villagers, they were mighty kind to us before the earthworms showed up, we didn't wanna make no more trouble for them. We up and left first chance we got. I was some afraid though, I think she overdid it a bit. She passed out a couple days ago and she hasn't waked up. No medics around, but I did what I could."

Katara looked back and forth from the old man to Zuko's trail, gritting her teeth as she weighed her options. Closing her eyes, she breathed a sigh of defeat, at the same time the ice holding the old man melted and flowed back into the water skin at her side. "I'm a healer; I'll see what I can do for her."

"Katara!" yelped Sokka. "What about Zuko? We might lose his trail if we take too long; he's headed for the coast, if he goes out on open water we'll never find him."

"It doesn't matter," Katara's voice carried a hint of regret; she knew her brother was right, but she'd made her choice. "There's someone here who needs our help now, I can't turn my back." She turned her back on Sokka and made her way to the entrance to the shelter.

The old man moved in front of Katara, blocking her path, but he quickly lifted the flap to the shelter and held it open. Katara quickly entered the shelter with the old man following closely behind, while Sokka chose to remain outside. The young warrior smiled to himself as he watched Katara eagerly set about helping the old man and his wife. It was good to see that despite everything that, had happened in these past years, she was still the sister he grew up with.

"Your boyfriend said you're looking for prince Zuko?" grunted the old man.

Katara showed no reaction as she began examining the old woman that lay in a bedroll at her feet. "He's my brother, not my boyfriend, and yes we're looking for the banished prince."

"I saw the prince only a couple weeks ago, I guess it would be closer to a month actually. He passed right through the town we was stayin' in. Lad even gave us some coin to help us on our way."

Katara simply ignored the man's comment about Zuko's act of kindness, but filed away the information that Zuko had travelled this way before, and recently. She was far more focused on the task at hand, the woman before her had many bruises and even a couple bandages. Slowly unwrapping the wounds, Katara's eyes went wide and she gasped.

* * *

Zuko stomped his foot on the ground and raised his hands into the air, his palms facing the sky; a stream of fire seemed to explode from the ground in a line starting at his foot and separating the soldiers into two groups. Bringing his hands back down the Firebender clapped and the line burst into a wall of flames. Breaking into a sprint Zuko ran directly beside the wall, occasionally jumping through it, the fire failing to burn him, as though he were merely passing through a waterfall. Anytime an attack was launched at him, Zuko would retreat to the other side of the wall, until he finally came close enough to a soldier to attack.

Zuko ran at the soldier, and stopping only a few feet from the Earthbender, he kicked out high, catching the soldier in the face. The man fell backwards to the ground, while Zuko leapt back and crossed to the other side of the wall. The other soldiers on the side of their fallen comrade, one of them the leader, were dumbstruck.

As he emerged from the fire Zuko found himself directly in front of another soldier; he cursed his miscalculation but made no sign of pausing. The soldier was inexperienced in physical combat and instead brought his hands forward to bend. Zuko immediately noticed the man was not actually attacking, and grabbed the soldier's wrists to prevent him from finishing the motion. The Firebender slammed his forehead into the soldier's face and pulled hard on his arms. The soldier instinctively pulled back, and Zuko released him causing the Earthbender to fall flat on his back, clenching his bleeding nose.

Zuko looked to the last soldier standing on his side of the fire wall and summoned another ball of flame while allowing the wall to dissipate. Running at the soldier Zuko threw the fireball ahead of him, the man brought his arms up to block the attack, but the fireball snuffed out long before it would have made contact. Instead Zuko punched the man in the stomach, causing the soldier to double over while the Firebender clenched his fists together and slammed them into the back of the man's head.

Turning to view his remaining opponents Zuko noted that the leader still stood, while the other man was literally trembling in his boots. In less than a minute Zuko had brought down four men with (what seemed to any onlookers) little to no effort. Zuko began to walk towards the two soldiers that were still standing, and the fearful one gave a yelp and started to run away; Zuko ignored him, and instead kept his eyes focused on the leader. The light from the waning sun shined off the prince's face, illuminating it for the first time during the short encounter.

The leader's knuckles went white as he tightened his grip on his weapons, pointing the head of one at Zuko. "You, you're that brat from that village four years ago!"

Zuko drew his swords, at last remembering when he last met this man. Over four year's ago in Li's village, he was the soldier that was bullying the citizens; sadly it seemed not much had changed in half a decade. Zuko snorted a puff of smoke and charged at the Earthbender.

* * *

"You said that you were attacked by Earthbenders?" asked Katara as she examined the wound beneath the bandage.

"That's what I said, earthworms, weren't you listening?" Sarcasm seemed a permanent attribute for the old man.

"Then how do you explain this?" Katara moved, revealing the wound on the woman's arm; a burn that was roughly the size of a hand. "Earthbenders don't leave burn marks."

"Of course they don't, I did that. Couldn't get the cut to stay closed and it was starting too get infected. I had to do what I could, I told you that earlier," explained the elderly Firebender.

Katara looked back at the wound and examined it more closely; sure enough, she could find signs of a cut beneath the burnt flesh. "I don't think I've ever heard of someone using Firebending for medical purposes."

"Bah, of course you wouldn't have, you probably never even saw the flames of war until after Ozai took the throne."

Katara stared at the old man. "Why would Ozai taking the crown have anything to do with medicinal use of Firebending?"

"Simple, once Ozai became Fire Lord he decreed that all Firebenders were to take up roles as soldiers. Even the medics were forced to give up their trades and enlist in the military, was an awful shame. Fire Nation could used a lot more medics, and we could sure use them now, but no ones been trained up in a decade and most of em died in the front lines."

"Were you a doctor by any chance?" Katara couldn't help but ask.

"Are you daft? I told you we couldn't find no medics, would found one right off were I one. My son though, he was a medic, he taught me how to close the wounds, some other stuff too but I don't remember it quite as well as I suppose I should. When Ozai took the crown, my boy was one of the ones sent to the front lines, never came home. War lost all meaning under Ozai, weren't no more honour to it, just people dieing."

Katara's eyes went wide before she narrowed them, frowning deeply at the old man. "That war never had any meaning or honour. No, it was just a bid for more power."

To his credit the Firebender stared right back, not so much as blinking at the accusation. "The war was a cruel thing, but it was a necessary thing. The Fire Nation was the most powerful of the four countries. The war was to spread our prosperity, so that the other nations might achieve what we had. We had medicine that didn't need Waterbenders, bountiful crops and secrets to keep them such, and of course advanced machinery."

"Fire Nation seems to have quite the way of sharing," accused Katara.

"You been through war and you're still looking at thing like they're all black or white? Tell me, you think if the Fire Nation just gave away whatever it had peace would have been guaranteed? One of the other nations would have eventually decided they wanted more than the Fire Nation was offering, they would have just taken it. Someone was going to make a move eventually, Sozin decided if he was to share his countries prosperity it should be his country that takes the role of ruling over the others. He did many horrible things, but he did it for his people and for the world; stop looking for thing to be so simple girl. Nothing in this world is ever as simple and good and bad, everyone has their reasons."

Katara was left speechless; she had no idea what to say to the old man. Everything he said could have been a lie, propaganda that the Fire Nation spread amongst its people to support the war. She couldn't shake the feeling that there could be some truth to it though, and try though she might she'd couldn't disprove it.

* * *

Zuko and the last soldier, the leader, circled each other, waiting for the right moment to strike. Based off the Earthbender's confident swagger, Zuko reasoned the man either did not remember their last encounter that well, or had improved significantly. The prince managed a smirk, it didn't matter which it was, because he had improved too: exponentially.

The soldier acted first, slamming his hammer into the ground he raised stone spikes from the earth and sent them rushing towards Zuko. The very same attack had almost lead to the prince's demise years earlier, but he was a different man back then, in body and spirit. Zuko spun to the side, narrowly dodging the attack, but the Earthbender was not done. He slammed his other hammer into the ground sending another series of spike's Zuko's way; soon the soldier was beating on the ground like a drum. However the attacks proved totally ineffective against Zuko, the young man's agility and reflexes allowed him to easily dodge everything the Earthbender could throw at him.

Realizing he would lose at this rate, the soldier raised both his hammers into the air and brought them down on the ground together. Like a pond after a rock is thrown in, the earth rippled and waves of sand, mud, and stone rose close to six feet into the air. Fire wrapped around Zuko's blades as he ran at the approaching wave rather than away. A quick slash with one sword, and a portion of the wave seemed to melt away as if it were nothing but butter. Zuko turned, bringing his other sword to bare against the next wave and cutting it down as well. Continuing the motion he continued to rotate in circles, cutting down wave after wave until he was standing directly in front of the soldier.

The Earthbender gritted his teeth, but as he moved to raise his hammers from the ground he felt a sharp pin in his right wrist, forcing him to drop that hammer. Glancing down he saw that Zuko had kicked his hand, hard, which also brought about the reality that Zuko was within arms reach. The soldier looked back up, and his eyes were nearly pierced by the tips of Zuko's swords, so close were the points to the man's face. Realizing that he had lost, the Earthbender dropped his other hammer to the ground and raised his hands in surrender.

"You mentioned that the boss sent you here. Now, do tell me more about this boss," ordered Zuko.

"The boss, the general, he sent us, told us to rough up the town, and scare off any Fire Nation we found," spouted the captive soldier.

"Give me a name!" commanded the prince, fire flaring form his nostrils.

"Long Feng, he sent us. Told me to take my men and head here, said it was all part of our duty to our nation, to make up for past mistakes."

"Who's Long Feng?" The name was familiar to Zuko, he was certain he'd heard it somewhere, but he wasn't sure of where. Perhaps Aang or one of his friends had mentioned the name back when they were allies but he could not be sure.

"He's the general of the new army and the commander of the Dai Li."

"The Dai Li follow Azula; she took command of them before she conquered Ba Sing Se four years ago."

"Yeah, four years ago, but things have changed since then. Everyone says Azula was captured, Long Feng came back then, started up an army, and now the Dai Li follow him, just like they used to," The solider kept his eyes on Zuko, but slowly began to reach for a hammer, hoping that the prince was too busy contemplating to notice. Luck was not with him however, as Zuko gave him a quick boot to the head, knocking him out cold.

* * *

"Zuzu was in south not too long ago, but now he's somewhere in the Earth Kingdom," Azula admitted, though she sounded more bored than frustrated at being forced to reveal the information. "He docked a boat in a southern port village and paid the dock keeper a healthy ransom to keep the boat safe and to keep quiet."

"I guess he didn't pay enough," reasoned Aang.

"Hardly, I think I would have hesitated at paying that man what it would take to get him to talk. However, I find that a few well phrased threats work wonders for loosening the lips, but you know that already don't you?" Aang merely ignored her jab and waited for Azula to continue. "Regardless, I'd say my brother had some business in the south recently and since he wanted to keep his boat safe he likely plans to return at some point. Of course he's not very god at planning ahead, he might be planning to return so far in the future that the boat will have rotted through by then. I wouldn't gamble on it."

Aang smiled, and turned to leave; he'd garnered enough information and did not wish to subject himself to Azula any longer.

"That's it? You're going after just that? How do you even know I'm telling the truth?" Azula seemed to regain her fire; she'd expected more fight from the Avatar, but he was satisfied with taking her words at face value.

Aang shrugged, not bothering to look back. "I'm willing to take the chance; besides I think you want me to catch him. He's the reason you got caught in the first place, right? You want pay back, and you can't get it if he's running around the world while you're locked in here," Azula remained silent, and Aang was pleased with this. It meant he'd guessed right, that Zuko had played a part in Azula's capture, and that was more than he had known before. The steal door slammed shut behind the Avatar, as he made his way out of the dungeon the waterfall froze back into ice, and the stone wall rose to conceal the whole thing. Azula broke into a grin as she took her plate of food and began to eat her dinner.

"Everything is back in motion."

**Chapter 7: End.**

* * *

_Originally I'd planned to have this chapter up a day earlier but I fell asleep in the midst of typing it up. It's a lot longer than I'd originally planned, but I think it's justified. Next chapter; how will Katara fight when she runs out of water? How can Sokka hope to defeat benders with only his sword? Where is Zuko headed in such a hurry? What happened to Toph? Until then, remember to seize the day._

_-fallendeathlord_

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	8. Chapter 8: Southbound

_Made some minor corrections and revisions to this chapter, nothing major though. I've also changed what I'll be inlcuding in the next chapter, read my note at the end of this chapter for more details if you're interested. Well here it is, _**Chapter 8: Southbound**

Zuko cautiously entered the Earth Kingdom port town, adrenaline still keeping him alert and anxious from the scuffle with the soldiers just a few minutes earlier. He'd acquired what information he could from the leader of the ruffians, which wasn't much. Apparently some man known as Long Feng had managed to seize control of the Dai Li from Azula, which the banished prince couldn't help but admit that he was impressed by. The other information he'd gleaned was more troubling to him: the Earth Kingdom was in a state of extreme unrest. The constant changes in the ruling government combined with the task of taking in so many Fire Nation refugees was generating turmoil among the general public. Soldiers, such as those he'd fought earlier, were being sent by Long Feng to further aggravate the situation.

Whoever this Long Feng was, Zuko concluded his goals were nothing short of starting a civil war. So it was that he remained one edge as he entered the town; although he'd been here only a short while ago, it was likely that the soldiers had raised the people into a state of panic, and humans had a tendency to act irrational when panicked. Zuko silently cursed himself for being so blunt in his dealings with the thugs, afraid that attacking so called members of the military might serve only to generate more unease.

Zuko stopped in his tracks as an elderly man took notice of him and quickly approached the young Firebender. The old man was almost completely bald, the only hair on his head were grey bushy eyebrows. He walked with a wooden cane and his back remained in an awkward hunch. As Zuko recalled, this man was revered as the village elder and also held the position of mayor.

"You attacked the soldiers sent to protect this village," the mayor began, shaking his cane at Zuko. "You sent them running and have left us with only ourselves to protect this poor village," the old man went on as he scolded the Firebender. Surprisingly, the mayor then extended his free hand. "As such we cannot possibly thank you enough."

Sokka popped his head into the make-shift shelter that the old Firebender has erected beneath the sand. Katara still sat by the elderly man's sleeping wife, literally pulling water out of the air to use in healing the old woman. Having used all the water from her pouches early on just healing the woman's broken bones, Katara found she still had a lot of work to do on the bruises. So it was that she was forced to condense the water in the air around her into tiny droplets to use.

The wounds the woman had suffered were far more severe than Katara had thought; the lady was a warrior of some skill to have made it so far before collapsing. Despite their different ethnicities Katara couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration for the elder.

"Katara, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sokka asked.

"Not right now Sokka," Katara waved him off. "I'm busy."

"It's _kinda_ important," Sokka drew out the word 'kinda' far longer than was necessary, getting under his sister's skin.

Deciding it better to humour her brother than allow him to continue distracting her from her task, she turned to exit the shelter. "Alright Sokka this better be good," she demanded, her brother already back outside. The elderly Firebender merely sat at his wife's side holding her hand tightly in his own.

Upon seeing Katara's head emerge from the shelter Sokka gestured with his thumb to the North. "We're about to have some company," he explained.

Katara look to the distance where her brother was pointing; sure enough she could vaguely see a small number approaching their position. Whoever they were they rode atop Ostrich Horses and were headed directly to the shelter.

Aang slouched as he made his way down the long palace hallway with his head hung low in exhaustion and his arms hanging loosely at his sides. He let out a long yawn as he seemed to struggle to raise his arms and laid his hands against a great oaken door. Lacking the energy to push the door open Aang instead found himself leaning against it, but his weight was just enough and as the door fell open, the young Avatar stumbled forward tripping over his own feet. Falling face first onto the ground, Aang sighed and after a quick debate about whether or not he should just sleep on the floor, he climbed back to his feet. Aang blinked hard and tried to focus, managing a couple steps forward before he fell again, but this time landing on a soft king sized bed. Rolling onto his back Aang pulled a pillow over his face, blocking out all outside light, and he swiftly fell asleep.

Shortly there after a small winged lemur climbed atop the bed and sat upon the pillow covering Aang's face. It sniffed the air and scratched its ear before lying down, curling into a ball and, moments later, joined the Avatar in slumber.

Zuko took the old man's hand and gave it a good shake. "It's good to see you again sir."

"Same to you m'boy, but really, none of this sir stuff, just call me Gibb," The two shook hands and Zuko gave a slight bow in understanding. "So what's brought you back so soon? Why, when you left you figured you'd be a half year if not more before you returned to these parts."

Zuko couldn't help but smile at the mayor's pleasantries; it reminded him of his time with his dear old uncle. Fighting back a sigh Zuko let out a huff of air. "Something's come up and I need to head back out to sea right away."

"Why, whatever has happened that you need to leave so suddenly?"

Zuko pulled the scroll he'd received from Sokka from his belt and held it out to the old. "This happened," The mayor took the parchment and gave it a look over, looking up at Zuko every so often. "I need to head south, and there aren't many boats heading that way so I'll have to go myself."

"It says that a band of Fire Nation rebels have been attacking a settlement in the Southern-"

"I know," interrupted Zuko, "that's why I'm going. Whether the people at that settlement want my help or not, they're getting it; those rebels are from _my_ country and they're _my_ responsibility to deal with."

The mayor chuckled to himself before replying. "You have such a unique way of offering assistance. Mayhap that is why those thugs were so interested in finding out about you."

Zuko's serious visage vanished from his face. "Are you talking about those soldiers? I thought they were just here to stir things up"

"Quite. In fact, I'm certain that they thought that was the chief purpose of there visit as well."

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

"When they arrived all they did was harass the village, even drove a couple Fire Nation refugees from the village. However it turns out they were also looking for information about a quiet young Fire Nation man travelling alone. They lacked the same drive as they did for the chaos they created, but the moment they heard something they sent half their number to report. I'm afraid I don't know whom they were reporting to though."

"That could be almost anyone," reasoned Zuko.

"Prince Zuko, there are few Fire Nation refugees confident enough or foolish enough to travel these lands alone. Never you mind the notion of a _quiet_ young man from the Fire Nation. I mean no offence but with you as the soul exception, your lot are typically quite the brazen bunch."

"They were headed more to the east when I spotted them," Sokka began, "but in this terrain there's no way they wouldn't spot our trail. That's probably why they're heading right to the shelter even with the camouflage."

"Bandits?" Katara asked, her tone turning sharp.

"I'm not sure," Sokka knelt to the ground, picking up some earth and letting it strain between his fingers. "If I had to guess I'd say no, they're not," Katara looked at him expecting a further explanation. "Ostrich horses are no good on this soft ground, so whoever they are they're definitely not from around here."

Sokka stood upright, stretching his arms before popping his head into the shelter. "Hey, we're going to be right back, stay put for us alright? And if you could, please not a peep till we say it's safe." The old man opened his mouth to retort but the young warrior cut him off. "Not. A. Peep."

A loud knock at the door startled Aang awake and he bolted upright, sending his pillow, and the lemur, flying. The small animal blinked in surprise, shocked that it had been awoken and thrown into a wall so suddenly. Aang rubbed his face with the palms of his hands, the bags under his eyes still hanging low, and hesitantly climbed out of bed to his feet. He stood on his toes as he stretched as far as he could towards the ceiling as a yawn escaped his lips.

Rubbing the back of his bald head with one hand he stepped forward and took hold of the door handle with the other, pausing for a moment before pulling it open. There stood a tall lanky man of apparent Fire Nation descent, his golden amber eyes, black hair and pale skin giving away his heritage. The man wore fine red silks decorated with golden trimmings, and his hair was kept up in a top knot. His face was long and narrow; a long moustache trailed along his lips and fell bellow his chin giving him the image of a cat fish.

In one hand he held an open book which was easily a half foot thick, though the man carried it as though it were nothing despite his small build. In his other hand a small quill, still dripping with ink, seemed to be locking into his grasp; Aang couldn't help but wonder if the man had ever put down the pen in the past decade. He stared down at the young Avatar with wide eyes and Aang couldn't help but feel intimidated by the man despite the fact that he was in fact one of the Avatar's personal servants, and self proclaimed advisor.

"Avatar Aang," the man more screeched than spoke, his irritating voice immediately snapping the boy back to his senses. "Do you even have the slightest clue what day or what time it is?"

"Of course I do Ruzy; otherwise I wouldn't know I actually have time for a nap," Aang smiled as he turned about and began to make his way back to his bed.

"It's Ruzel, and you just stop right there. No of course you do not have time for a nap; I saw that you had some time today so I decided it a perfect chance for you to deal with some domestic complaints, and here you are a half hour late."

"You what?" Aang demanded. He was still half asleep and so did not have the willpower to keep his temper in check. "Ruzy, I had no appointments today for a reason. I need some rest. You've got me running on an hour of sleep, I can't keep this up," The Avatar complained.

"Five hours is more than enough for a young man such as you, now come. You've yet to deal with the increasing rumours of the return of the Painted Lady. She's creating much unrest and only the Avatar has the power to deal with the sprits."

Aang grasped his bald head with both hands, searching desperately for even the smallest hair that he might rip out in frustration. "There is no Painted Lady, how many times do I have to tell you? What's more the only person who could pull off pretending to be her isn't even in the country right now, so stop bugging me about it."

"As the Avatar it is your duty to deal with any and all complaints of spiritual activity," Ruzel went on, completely ignoring Aang's pleas. The young man opted instead to cover his ears and tune out the annoying servants constant babbling but Ruzel was not to be so easily ignored, and forcibly removed one of Aang's hands from his ears. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes, fine, I guess I have no choice," Aang submitted, casting his head down. However, while one would expect Aang to have a look of defeat, instead a smile crossed his face. Diving between Ruzel's legs, Aang rolled to his feet and made a break for it. Even as the dumbfounded servant began to turn around it was too late; Aang was already gone.

Not fifty feet from the shelter the Water Tribe siblings stood ready, Sokka having decided this the best location they could reach before the strangers arrived. Katara cast a glance at her brother standing beside her; standing upright with his jaw clenched and his limbs loose he was hardly the Sokka she remembered from her childhood. He flexed his fingers, ready to draw his blade at a moment's notice, but aside from that he showed no outwards sign of nervousness.

Katara on the other hand was getting anxious, and this did not go unnoticed by Sokka. "If it comes down to a fight I'll run in, while you pick them off with your water magic."

"About my water magic," Katara began. "I'm fresh out."

"You're out? Out of what? Water? Please don't say you're out of water." Sokka whined, losing his composure before quickly regaining it. "No, never mind; just do that vapour thing you do to make water."

"It's not humid enough, I'll be lucky to get a fist of water out of this air."

"Then get a fistful of water, just make sure you do something. Next time tell me when you're out, I would have left you at the shelter."

"Wait just a minute-"

"No," Sokka cut his sister off as he turned to face her. "As long as they're not Firebenders, I can take them, but I can't protect you at the same time. I don't want you getting hurt just because you've got nothing to bend."

Before Katara could reply, the strangers, five of them total, fully garbed in Earth Kingdom soldier uniforms, and came within earshot. "Stand where you are!" The apparent leader barked.

Katara realized the argument was over, and she felt more than a little guilty for making her brother worry. She was a master Waterbender, a grand master even, but her older brother who couldn't bend an element to save his life, was still watching over her. She was thankful that Sokka was travelling with her, even if she'd never say it to him directly; after all how many family members would drop everything just to help a loved one travel around the world on what everyone called a wild snakegoose hunt?

Sokka put on his best poker face and turned away from his sister to regard the soldiers; sizing them up while scratching the back of his head in an effort to seem confused. "Was there something I could help you with?"

"Yes, there is," Stated the leading soldier. "As you can no doubt see, we are part of the army, and as such we require that you hand over all your possessions to us immediately." The man smiled, revealing that he was missing a number of teeth and had silver and even gold replacements.

Sokka shrugged, shaking his head. "I'm afraid we're diplomats sent by the Water Tribes and given our position we are barred from helping any foreign military. Of course I wouldn't expect a grunt such as you to recognize people of such importance as we."

"What are you doing?" Katara hissed to her brother, but he ignored her, continuing to stare down soldier.

"I'll forgive your transgression this time," Sokka offered, "but please be more careful who you ask for help in the future."

The leader scowled at Sokka. "Impudent whelp, you assume we mean to ask?" He dropped down from his mount and the others quickly dismounted as well.

Sokka smiled as he broke into a charge, swiftly drawing his sword and boomerang as he ran, he reached the leader even as the poor soldier was setting his feet on the ground. Punching the hilt into the man's fore head, the Water Tribe warrior donned a triumphant grin. "Actually I assumed that you'd give up your high ground at the slightest provocation," he bragged as the leader slumped to the ground unconscious.

Aang pressed his back to a wall as he made his escape; slowly and carefully, he took a quick glance around the corner. He spotted two guards approaching and quickly he retreated back around the corner. From the way they walked it was clear they were less than enthusiastic about the task set before them. Regardless they were bound to find poor Aang, despite their lack of focus, in but a few short moments.

"Man, I can't believe Ruzel stuck us with Avatar hunting again," complained one guard.

"I know, he's like sixteen, and the Avatar, he really doesn't need anyone babysitting him," chimed in the other.

"Can't say I envy that kid though, you ever see that big book that Ruzel is always carrying around?" The guard pretended to carry a book in one arm.

"You're kidding me right? I think it would be a rarer sight to see him without that thing."

"Yeah well, apparently that whole thing is filled with the Avatar's schedule, the guy's got that kid's future planned out down to the speck of dust."

"That thing is a planner? There's no way, isn't that thing thick enough to detail his next year?"

"No man, that's the Avatar's meetings for the _week_."

The other guard slapped his hand to his forward. "No wonder the kid keeps running away, I'd run away too if I were him."

"I know what you mean, there's no way that's good for the nerves; he's got to be stressed out."

The guards changed the topic of their conversation as they turned the corner into an empty hallway and continued on their way. On the ceiling Aang held his breath, both hands and feet stuck in the stone. The moment the guards were out of sight he took a deep breath of air and pulled his limbs free, the stone giving way as if it were water. He dropped to the ground without a sound and checked around the corner. Seeing no one, he decided this to be his best opportunity to make good his escape. Rather than going down the hall, he instead climbed out a window, carefully scaling the wall to the roof above.

Already atop the palace a familiar lemur struggled to pull his pillow free; the object had become caught on the eaves trough and the small animal was having some difficulty with it. The small creature's attention was caught by Aang and he couldn't help but shake his head as the young man ran along the rooftop. Suddenly the pillow came free and the lemur was sent flying, narrowly grasping the edge of the roof with one paw while saving the pillow from falling with the other.

The soldiers hesitated as there leader collapsed; downed by a single attack by the scrawny Water Tribe man. As Sokka took a step towards them they fell back a step and began to bend the earth to their will. However to their surprise their bending failed them and instead only a few particles of sand rose into the air. Sokka began to advance with smile and shook his head. "You know, I figured you guys wouldn't know how to fight on sand."

The would-be benders' faces clearly showed their surprise at the situation; they were totally outmatched by man who could still pass as a boy. With only numbers on there side they drew their swords, which were more accurately strips of metal with leather wrapped around the base to form a handle. Even with the Fire Nation under the combined control of the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom, the secrets of smelting and forging had yet to spread. The exile or death of all the master craftsmen further hampered the production of quality weapons. Slowly they moved to surround and flank Sokka in hopes that he would be unable to fight so many at once.

One of the four winced as a fist sized chunk of ice smashed him in the side of the face; Katara fought the urge to smile, realizing that her attack was far less affective than she'd hoped. The injured man immediately turned his attention to her and left his three compatriots to deal with he warrior. Katara bit her lip and took a step back, but the man began to advance faster. Sokka saw what was happening but he was powerless to help her until he dealt with the soldiers that had him surrounded.

Taking a step forwards Sokka threw his boomerang at the soldier in front of him and as he expected the man easily ducked the projectile. As the soldier rose back to his full height Sokka swung with his sword, catching his opponent in the head with the side of his blade. Sokka spun as he continued the motion with his sword, falling into a crouch he kicked out and tripped the soldier beside him. Meanwhile the boomerang narrowly missed the man Sokka had hit with his sword, passed right over Sokka's head, and struck the third solider solidly in the forehead. All three men hit the ground at almost the exact same moment.

A scream returned Sokka's attention to his sister; the soldier that had been advancing on her was now charging with his weapon raised to strike. Katara fell into a crouch and brought up her right arm to block the coming blow; the few droplets of water that she'd managed to summon splashed against her assailant's face. Sokka broke into a mad dash to his sister despite being fully aware he had no chance of making it in time. The soldier brought down his weapon and both siblings winced, but Katara did not crumple and Sokka did not slow. Grasping the hilt of his sword in both hands the warrior swung at the soldier's neck, turning his blade at the last moment to hit him with the flat side. The man's head snapped to the side as Sokka's sword slammed into his neck and the fell to the ground.

Katara remained crouched cradling her wounded arm, but not a speck of blood marked it but instead her forearm was bruised near black. Sokka was relieved that his sister had not been cut but eyed the bruises with suspicion. The Waterbender's face was contorted in pain and she gently stroked her injury with her good hand. She seemed to be frozen in place. He sheathed his sword and stepped on the fallen soldier, forcing his face into the dirt with on foot. Still on top of the man Sokka kneeled in front of his sister he placed both hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he apologized in a whisper, his head mere inches from her. "I shouldn't have brought you; I should have left you at the shelter. I'm sorry you had to use Bloodbending."

"It hurts," Katara mumbled.

"Yeah, frostbite tends to, just wait right here, I'm going to make sure they're all going to stay down then I'll check if they have any water on them. Will you be okay for a minute?" Katara stared at him like he was an idiot; even if she wouldn't be alright there was no way she'd admit it. Sokka sighed then stood up and made his way to the fallen soldiers. One by one he gave them each a solid hit to the head before heading to their mounts to check the saddle bags.

Zuko bowed to the old mayor. "I thank you for all your assistance Gibb, but I need to get going."

"I understand. I'll have some supplies loaded onto your boat. You should be ready to depart in a day," the mayor smiled.

Zuko straightened. "I'm sorry but that's not soon enough, I don't know how long it will take me and I need to leave as soon as I can. Please, I'll load the supplies myself, but I need to leave now."

"I see, very well." The mayor turned his back to Zuko. "I'll see what I can do. I do hope that the next time you'll have a chance to sit and enjoy a nice pot of tea."

Zuko grimaced at the mention of the beverage; ever did it remain his bane. Nonetheless he forced a smile. "Yes, I would enjoy that."

Aang soared through the air grasping tightly onto his glider: a six foot staff with orange coloured wing-like attachments reinforced by small strands of steel that extended from the central shaft. This was Aang's fifth glider, or so he thought, he wasn't certain anymore. He'd lost two during the war while two more became obsolete as he grew in height and weight over the past four years. This particular glider was made for him only a couple of short weeks ago and this was his first opportunity for a test flight.

Having successfully escaped both the palace and the royal city, the young Avatar now flew in the open skies close to a mile above the open plains bellow. He licked his lips before performing several aerial loops; he fully intended to get a feel for his new toy, even if he did have other matters that required his attention. Regaining his focus he began to search the ground below, his eyes darting from side to side. His eyes lit up and a smile crossed his face as he spotted his quarry, wasting no time he shifted his weight and fell into a nose dive.

Pulling up, Aang's quickly flipped around his glider, so that instead of holding it he was instead standing atop it. He extended his arms for balance and used his feet to guide the glider, effectively surfing on the wind. He surfed through the air for the majority of his descent, but upon approaching the ground he returned to his former position. Collapsing his glider back into a staff he began to spin the weapon over his head much like the blades of a helicopter. A powerful cyclone formed beneath the staff, pushing upwards and slowing Aang's fall. His knees bent as his settled down on the ground; the earth giving way slightly to cushion the impact.

In front of the Avatar stood a great beast; it was a little larger than an elephant and covered in long white fur. The creature had six legs as opposed to the usual four a beast of its size would have, and its tail was wide and flat, much like that of a beaver's except it too was covered in white fur. Down the beast's back a brown pattern of fur formed a line ending with an arrow at the creature's forehead, very similar to the tattoos Aang wore. It had a round face framed by two large horns protruding from just in front of its ears while it's eyes belayed a gentleness like that of a puppy. The creature opened its great mouth, letting out a purr that literally shook the ground around it, and, sticking out its tongue, licked Aang, covering the Avatar head to toe in a thick layer of slobber.

Aang continued smiling despite his considerably moistened state; giving the affectionate creature a quick pat on the cheek, Aang jumped into the air and landed softly atop the beast's head. Laying flat on his stomach he rubbed his face against the soft fur. "Good to see you too boy," Aang commented before sitting back up. Looking over his shoulder to the creature's back he quickly spotted a familiar lemur, fast asleep atop an also familiar pillow. "Hey Momo," Aang began. "How'd you beat me to Appa?" Momo merely rolled over in response, not so much as uttering a sound to the young Avatar. Aang scratched his bald head before giving it a shake. "Never mind, it's not important."

Several palace guards entered the scene, having little difficulty tracking Aang as few humans are able to fly through the skies. "Sir, please come back to the palace," one of the guards all but begged. "Ruzel's not even gonna let us take as much as a lunch until we bring you back."

Aang surveyed the two dozen guards that had followed him from the palace, feeling more than a little sorry for the men. However his course was set and he was not about to be swayed before he even left. Smiling he gave Appa a pat on the head. "Alight boy, yip yip."

Appa leapt into the air, kicking with his legs and batting his tail he began to literally swim through the air; a strong gust of wind followed behind, knocking many of the guards prone while others could only stare in awe as the Avatar and his Sky Bison flew higher. Aang couldn't hold back a laugh as he took one last look at the dumbfounded earthbound men.

"Alright," Aang licked his lips and pointed to the Southeast. "Come on Appa, we're going to visit home."

Sokka continued to dig through the saddle packs while Katara worked at healing her arms with the water they'd procured. He found a rolled up scroll with a broken seal and gave it a quick read. He didn't even notice Katara sneak up behind him until she stole the paper right out of his hands. "Hey!" He protested and grabbed out at the scroll but Katara was faster and jumped back out of his reach.

Katara ducked and weaved as she read the scroll; Sokka tried to get it back but he was afraid he might hurt his sister's newly healed arms if he wasn't careful. Katara clenched her jaw as she reached the end of the document while Sokka bit his upper lip. "I know where he's going," Katara stated flatly.

"What, where who's going?" Sokka asked even though he knew well what she was talking about.

"This scroll is about Zuko; these men were reporting on his recent activity," She looked at her brother. "He arrived at a port town south of here a month ago, by boat."

"So what does it mean?"

"It means he's heading back to that town, it means he's planning to leave the Earth Kingdom, and it means he plans to head south. I know where he's going Sokka, I know where he's going and we can finally catch him." A cold sweat formed on Sokka's brow. "Come on, we need to get moving, we have to get to the Southern Air Temple."

"Wait, what?" Sokka questioned, now genuinely confused.

"He's going to the Southern Air Temple, where else would he go if he was heading South? The Water Tribe? I don't think so."

"Yeah, I guess you're right; he must be heading to the Air Temple," Sokka agreed.

Zuko stood atop a large skiff; the boast itself was a little over fifteen feet long, a small tarp arced over a portion of the deck creating a poor shelter form the elements, while a mast rose form the centre of the boat. Taking a glance over his shoulder Zuko stole one last look at the mainland before tearing his eyes from the land and instead looking out to the sea. A large wave rocked the boat and the young prince was forced to grab a hold of the mast the keep his balance. Narrowing his eyes he focused on the horizon, on the cold South. Already the waters sought to end his journey but he was prince Zuko, and he did not give into the whims of the world without a fight. Taking a couple deep breaths to ease himself Zuko raised the sails; the boat rocked as a gust of wind began to carry the skiff to its destination. Taking Sokka's scroll in hand the banished prince lit it aflame, allowing the ashes to spread to the wind, only a single scrap remained and fluttered through the air; it read "in the Southern Water Tribe."

**Chapter 8: End.**

_One of the things I wanted to get across with this chapter was that while Katara is possibly the most powerful Waterbender in the world, unlike Zuko she has very little skill in fighting without a water source. Even so she's able to draw vapour right out of the air and so she is rarely helpless. Without any water, such as when she's in the middle of a desert, she can still manipulate her own body using Bloodbending. I don't plan to show what she's fully capable of until she faces off against one of the other main characters though. EDIT: I've had a number of people asking about why Katara is so hostile towards Zuko so I'm including information about her motivation in the next chapter. The chapter will be Toph centric but I guess it's about time that I expanded on the severe change in personality in Katara. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I ask that more people please make suggestions and comments, I appreciate them. Well until next time, remember to seize the day._

_-fallendeathlord_


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